Recent Patents on Anti-cancer Drug Discovery

BACKGROUND: Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 3C (EIF3C) represents a pivotal translational initiation factor in eukaryotes and has been shown to facilitate the progression of various neoplasms. However, its mechanistic role in ovarian cancer remains elusive. METHODS: In this research, the expression of EIF3C in ovarian cancer tissues was investigated using immunohistochemistry. In addition, the assessments were made on changes in cellular proliferation, invasion, and apoptotic abilities by reducing the expression of EIF3C in ovarian cancer cells...

BACKGROUND: Osteolytic bone metastasis is a common complication of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), resulting in bone pain, hypercalcemia, and fractures that severely reduce the quality of life and survival time of patients. Semaphorins 3A (Sema3A) is one of the isoforms of the Semaphorins family, which is important in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, such as angiogenesis, immune regulation, and tumorigenesis. However, the role of Sema3A in the development of osteolytic bone metastasis in NSCLC is unknown...

Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) are vital substances for maintaining normal physiological functions in the body. In recent years, scholars have explored the relationship between fat-soluble vitamins and the wasting disease - lung cancer. In this paper, we review recent studies on fat-soluble vitamins and lung cancer to clarify the relevance and molecular mechanisms of various vitamins in lung cancer, and whether the levels of fat-soluble vitamins in the body and vitamin supplementation affect the development of lung cancer...

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL) is a rare group of non-Hodgkin lymphoma originating from the skin, which is characterized by T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Chidamide, a Chinese original antineoplastic agent with independent intellectual property rights, and matrine, an extract of Chinese herbal medicine, both have been reported to exert effects on the treatment of tumors individually. However, chidamide combined with matrine has not been tested for the treatment of CTCL...

BACKGROUND: Natural antisense long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have the ability to modulate the expression of their corresponding sense genes. Consequently, any dysregulation of these lncRNAs can contribute to the development of pathological processes. The ambiguity surrounding the role of HMGA2-AS1 in gastric cancer (GC) requires further investigation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the involvement of HMGA2-AS1 in GC. METHODS: The Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and immune infiltration analysis were used in this study...

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is a highly invasive bone marrow stromal tumor with limited treatment options. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development and progression of tumors, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Recent studies have revealed the significant involvement of UBE2L3 in oxidative stress, but its specific role in osteosarcoma remains poorly investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms by which UBE2L3 promotes oxidative stress-regulated necroptosis to accelerate the progression of osteosarcoma using in vitro cell experiments...

BACKGROUND: Ganoderma lucidum extracts are widely used as adjuvants in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) in China. However, its clinical value in TNBC remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the clinical effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore powder (GLSP) on prognosis in patients with early-stage TNBC in this study. METHODS: A total of 388 patients who were diagnosed with TNBC at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from February 2012 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed...

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor, with about one million people diagnosed with it worldwide each year. Recent studies have found that metformin can inhibit the production of inflammatory factors and regulate the polarization of immune cells. However, whether metformin can regulate the inflammatory microenvironment and delay the progression of colorectal cancer by inhibiting the inflammatory response has not been deeply studied yet. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism by which metformin inhibits the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome, regulates the inflammatory microenvironment, and delays the progression of colorectal cancer through in vitro cell experiments...

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is closely linked to inflammatory reactions, with chronic liver diseases acting as major risk factors. In the inflammatory microenvironment, repeated damage and repair of liver cells lead to genetic mutations, abnormal proliferation, and tumorigenesis. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression profile of specific cell clusters under inflammatory stimulation in HCC and identify potential therapeutic drugs...

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a public health problem around the world. Several studies have investigated the association between statin use and the risk of HCC, however, more studies are needed in this field. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the relationship between statin use and HCC risk. METHODS: Systematic searches of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, Science Direct, and Embase were conducted for studies published between 1980 and September 2023...

BACKGROUND: Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is an imaging method based on mass spectrometry technology that can simultaneously visualize the spatial distribution of various biological molecules. The use of MSI in cancer detection and drug discovery has been extensively investigated in recent years. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to summarize the latest advances of MSI and its specific applications in cancer detection and drug discovery, providing a basic understanding of the development and application of MSI in the past five years and offering references for the further application of MSI in cancer detection and drug discovery...

BACKGROUND: The tumor burden before chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy was one of the critical factors affecting the prognosis of lymphoma. It was a challenge to effectively reduce the tumor burden of relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma with p53 mutation. OBJECTIVE: Here, we have presented a case of relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma with p53 mutation being controlled by the treatment with daratumumab and venetoclax, followed by CAR-T cell therapy...

Breast cancer is a public health issue in developing and developed countries. Nowadays, the concept of BCSC (breast cancer stem cell) is gaining popularity among oncology researchers. The breast cancer stem cell is a tiny cell fraction inside the tumor mass that shows features that look like stem cells that are implicated in the genesis, recurrence, and metastasis of breast cancer tumors. Extracellular cues, mutations, and epigenetic control all contribute to the intricacy of gene expression control in Breast cancer stem cells...

BACKGROUND: Saponin of Schizocapsa plantaginea Hance I (SSPH I)，a bioactive saponin found in Schizocapsa plantaginea, exhibits significant anti-proliferation and antimetastasis in lung cancer. OBJECTIVE: To explore the anti-metastatic effects of SSPH I on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with emphasis on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) both in vitro and vivo. METHODS: The effects of SSPH I at the concentrations of 0, 0.875,1...

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a sub-population of cancer cells present in many kinds of malignant tumors that have the potential for self-proliferation and differentiation. These cells have been demonstrated as the main cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Strong evidence indicates that CSCs prefer reprogrammed fatty acid β-oxidation over oxidative phosphorylation for sustaining energy supply. Although mitochondrial dynamics participate in the regulation of cancer stemness, the correlation between the inhibition of mitochondrial fission and the regulation of lipid metabolism in CSCs remains poorly understood...

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress refers to non-homeostatic elevation within intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and is associated with several neuro-related pathological conditions. Diclofenac is a commonly prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for treating aches and pain by reducing inflammation. Diclofenac is also associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death by altering the homeostatic balance within mitochondria. In the present report, the neuroprotective effects of BNC formulation constituted by Bacopa monnieri leaves, Nigella sativa and Curcuma longa rhizome seeds were investigated...

BACKGROUND: Chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) manifest as prevalent gastrointestinal disorders, while digestive tract cancers (DTCs) present formidable challenges to global well-being. However, extant observational studies proffer uncertain insights into potential causal relationships of constipation and IBS with susceptibility to DTCs. METHODS: We executed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to establish causal connections between these conditions and seven distinct categories of DTCs, including colorectal carcinoma (CRC), hepatocellular cancer (HCC), esophageal malignancy (ESCA), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), biliary tract carcinoma (BTCs), gastric carcinoma (GC), and small intestine neoplasm (SIC)...

BACKGROUND: Accumulated evidence suggest that tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in breast cancer (BRCA) progression and therapeutic effects. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize immune-related BRCA subtypes in TME, and identify genes with prognostic value. METHODS: RNA sequencing profiles with corresponding clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database of BRCA patients were downloaded to evaluate immune infiltration using the single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGAEA) algorithm...

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, known as CAR-T cells, represent a promising breakthrough in the realm of adoptive cell therapy. These T-cells are genetically engineered to carry chimeric antigen receptors that specifically target tumors. They have achieved notable success in the treatment of blood-related cancers, breathing new life into this field of medical research. However, numerous obstacles limit chimeric antigen receptors T-cell therapy's efficacy, such as it cannot survive in the body long. It is prone to fatigue and exhaustion, leading to difficult tumor elimination and repeated recurrence, affecting solid tumors and hematological malignancies...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies reported that terminal nucleotidyltransferase 5A (TENT5A) is highly expressed in glioblastoma and associated with poor prognosis. In this work, we aim to specify the expression level of TENT5A in different grades of glioma and explore its role in glioma progression. METHODS: GEPIA online tools were used to perform the bioinformatic analysis. qRT-PCR, Western blot, and Immunohistochemistry were performed in glioma cells or tissues. Furthermore, CCK8, colony formation, transwell, flow cytometry and scratch assays were performed...