Muriel Cuendet

The role of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase in cancer chemoprevention.

The involvement of prostaglandins (PGs) and other eicosanoids in the development of human cancer has been known for over two decades. Importantly, an increase in PG synthesis may influence tumor growth in human beings and experimental animals, and numerous studies have illustrated the effect of PG synthesis on carcinogen metabolism, tumor cell proliferation and metastatic potential. PGs produced by cyclooxygenases (COXs) are represented by a large series of compounds that mainly enhance cancer development and progression, acting as carcinogens or tumor promoters, with profound effects on carcinogenesis. Further investigations suggest that arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites derived from lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways play an important role in growth-related signal transduction, implying that intervention through these pathways should be useful for arresting cancer progression. We discuss here the implications of COX and LOX in colon, pancreatic, breast, prostate, lung, skin, urinary bladder and liver cancers. Select inhibitors of COX and LOX are described, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), selective COX-2 inhibitors, curcumin, tea, silymarin and resveratrol, as well as a method useful for evaluating inhibitors of COX. Although a substantial amount of additional work is required to yield a better understanding of the role of COX and LOX in cancer chemoprevention, it is clear that beneficial therapeutic effects can be realized through drug-mediated modulation of these metabolic pathways.

HDAC6 as a target for neurodegenerative diseases: what makes it different from the other HDACs?

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been demonstrated to be beneficial in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Such results were mainly associated with the epigenetic modulation caused by HDACs, especially those from class I, via chromatin deacetylation. However, other mechanisms may contribute to the neuroprotective effect of HDAC inhibitors, since each HDAC may present distinct specific functions within the neurodegenerative cascades. Such an example is HDAC6 for which the role in neurodegeneration has been partially elucidated so far. The strategy to be adopted in promising therapeutics targeting HDAC6 is still controversial. Specific inhibitors exert neuroprotection by increasing the acetylation levels of α-tubulin with subsequent improvement of the axonal transport, which is usually impaired in neurodegenerative disorders. On the other hand, an induction of HDAC6 would theoretically contribute to the degradation of protein aggregates which characterize various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Hutington’s diseases. This review describes the specific role of HDAC6 compared to the other HDACs in the context of neurodegeneration, by collecting in silico, in vitro and in vivo results regarding the inhibition and/or knockdown of HDAC6 and other HDACs. Moreover, structure, function, subcellular localization, as well as the level of HDAC6 expression within brain regions are reviewed and compared to the other HDAC isoforms. In various neurodegenerative diseases, the mechanisms underlying HDAC6 interaction with other proteins seem to be a promising approach in understanding the modulation of HDAC6 activity.

Antitumor activity of bruceantin: an old drug with new promise.

Bruceantin was first isolated from Brucea antidysenterica, a tree used in Ethiopia for the treatment of cancer, and activity was observed against B16 melanoma, colon 38, and L1210 and P388 leukemia in mice. Phase I and II clinical trials were then initiated, but no objective tumor regressions were observed and clinical development was terminated. Recently, the activity of bruceantin has been studied with a number of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma cell lines. Cell differentiation was induced and c-MYC was down-regulated, suggesting a mechanistic correlation between c-MYC down-regulation and induction of cell differentiation or cell death. Treatment of HL-60 and RPMI 8226 cell lines induced apoptosis, and this involved the caspase and mitochondrial pathways. Moreover, an in vivo study using RPMI 8226 human-SCID xenografts demonstrated that bruceantin induced regression in early as well as advanced tumors, and these significant antitumor responses were facilitated in the absence of overt toxicity. Apoptosis was significantly elevated in tumors derived from animals treated with bruceantin. In sum, bruceantin interferes with the growth of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma cells in culture and xenograft models. Responses of this type suggest bruceantin should be reinvestigated for clinical efficacy against hematological malignancies.

Cancer chemopreventive activity and metabolism of isoliquiritigenin, a compound found in licorice

Isoliquiritigenin (2′,4′,4-trihydroxychalcone; ILG), a chalcone found in licorice root and many other plants, has shown potential chemopreventive activity through induction of phase II enzymes such as quinone reductase-1 in murine hepatoma cells. In this study, the in vivo metabolism of ILG was investigated in rats. In addition, ILG glucuronides and ILG-glutathione adducts were observed in human hepatocytes and in livers from rats treated with ILG. ILG glucuronides were detected in both plasma and rat liver tissues. In addition, in a full-term cancer chemoprevention study conducted with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene–treated female Sprague-Dawley rats, dietary administration of ILG slightly increased tumor latency but had a negative effect on the incidence of mammary tumors starting at ∼65 days after 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene administration. Further, no significant induction of phase II enzymes was found in mammary glands, which is consistent with the low level of ILG observed in these tissues. However, ILG significantly induced quinone reductase-1 activity in the colon, and glutathione as well as glutathione S-transferase in the liver. Analysis of mRNA expression in tissues of rats treated with ILG supported these findings. These results suggest that ILG should be tested for chemopreventive efficacy in nonmammary models of cancer. Cancer Prev Res; 3(2); 221–32

Multiple Myeloma Regression Mediated by Bruceantin

Purpose: Bruceantin has been shown to induce cell differentiation in a number of leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. It also down-regulated c-MYC, suggesting a correlation of down-regulation with induction of cell differentiation or cell death. In the present study, we focused on multiple myeloma, using the RPMI 8226 cell line as a model. Experimental Design: The effects of bruceantin on c-MYC levels and apoptosis were examined by immunoblotting, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, evaluation of caspase-like activity, and 3,3′-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide staining. The potential of bruceantin to inhibit primary tumor growth was assessed with RPMI 8226 xenografts in SCID mice, and apoptosis in the tumors was evaluated by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling assay. Results: c-MYC was strongly down-regulated in cultured RPMI 8226 cells by treatment with bruceantin for 24 h. With U266 and H929 cells, bruceantin did not regulate c-MYC in this manner. Apoptosis was induced in the three cell lines. In RPMI 8226 cells, apoptosis occurred through proteolytic processing of procaspases and degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The mitochondrial pathway was also involved. Because RPMI 8226 cells were the most sensitive, they were used in a xenograft model. Bruceantin treatment (2.5–5 mg/kg) resulted in a significant regression of tumors without overt toxicity. Apoptosis was significantly elevated in tumors derived from animals treated with bruceantin (37%) as compared with the control tumors (14%). Conclusions: Bruceantin interferes with the growth of RPMI 8226 cells in cell culture and xenograft models. These results suggest that bruceantin should be reinvestigated for clinical efficacy against multiple myeloma and other hematological malignancies.

Characterization of Natural Product Chemopreventive Agents

Cancer is a complicated group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells (1). In 2002, 1,284,900 new cases of cancer were estimated to be diagnosed in the United States (US), and about 555,500 persons were expected to die of cancer, i.e., more than 1500 every day (2). Despite small decreases in overall cancer incidence and mortality rates in the US since the early 1990s, the total number of recorded cancer deaths continues to increase due to an aging and expanding population (2). Furthermore, deaths from certain carcinomas of the lung and bronchus, breast, prostate, and colon and rectum remain high, and 5-yr survival rates for many cancer patients are still very low: for cancers of the brain, 32%; esophagus, 14%; liver, 6%; lung and bronchus, 15%; pancreas, 4%; stomach, 22%; and multiple myeloma, 29% (2). Obviously, cancer remains a formidable public health problem.

Antitrypanosomal Quinoline Alkaloids from the Roots of Waltheria indica

Chemical investigation of the dichloromethane root extract of Waltheria indica led to the isolation and characterization of 10 quinoline alkaloids, namely, 8-deoxoantidesmone (1), waltheriones E-L (2-9), and antidesmone (10). Among these, compounds 2-9 have not yet been described in the literature. Their chemical structures were established by means of spectroscopic data interpretation including (1)H and (13)C NMR, HSQC, HMBC, COSY, and NOESY experiments and UV, IR, and HRESIMS. The absolute configurations of the compounds were established by comparison of experimental and TDDFT-calculated ECD spectra. In addition, the isolated constituents were evaluated for their in vitro antitrypanosomal activity. Compounds 4, 5, and 8 showed potent and selective growth inhibition toward Trypanosoma cruzi with IC50 values between 0.02 and 0.04 μM. Cytotoxicity for mouse skeletal L-6 cells was also determined for these compounds.

Plants as a source of therapeutic and health products.

The research unit of Pharmacognosy is mostly working on the biological activity and safety of natural products, as well as herbal dietary supplements. One of the focuses relies on finding new cancer chemopreventive compounds by means of a battery of short-term in vitro bioassays developed to monitor inhibition of tumorigenesis at various stages. Neglected diseases are a major problem in developing countries. Therefore, the search for new or improved treatments is also needed and consists of another area of research of the unit. For both projects, in-depth mechanistic studies, as well as in vitro and in vivo absorption and metabolization experiments are performed. Problems related to undeclared, unauthorized or toxic botanicals in herbal dietary supplements are of growing importance as they generally have not gone through a rigorous drug testing process as for therapeutic phytochemicals. For this, a generic method was developed for the multi-targeted screening of biomarkers which aims at characterizing plant species in these supplements.

Potential cancer chemopreventive agents from Arbutus unedo

A phytochemical study of the petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of the entire plant of Arbutus unedo led to the isolation of a new sterol, 7β-hydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one (1), and nine known compounds of the flavan, steroid, and terpenoid types. The structure of 1 was determined by spectroscopic data interpretation in combination with molecular modeling calculations. The absolute stereochemistry of C-7 was assigned as S for compound 1 based on the obtained CD spectral data. Activity in the JB6 cell transformation assay was found for pomolic acid 3-acetate (4). All isolates obtained were evaluated in a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition assay.

Acylated pregnane glycosides from Caralluma sinaica.

Caralluma sinaica is sold on local markets of Saudi Arabia for various health benefits however no phytochemical study has specifically been performed on this species. NMR and UHPLC-ESI-TOF-MS profilings of the ethanolic extract of the whole plant reveal a very complex phytochemical composition dominated by pregnanes. Detailed information on its constituents was obtained after isolation. Six pregnane glycosides were obtained and characterized based on the extensive spectroscopic analysis (including IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and MS data), in addition to ten known compounds (seven pregnanes and three flavonoids). The compounds were identified as 12β-O-benzoyl-20-O-acetyl boucerin-3-O-6-deoxy-3-O-methyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranoside, 12β-O-tigloyl-20-O-acetyl boucerin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranoside, 12β-O-benzoyl-20-O-acetyl boucerin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-digitalopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranoside, 12β-O-benzoyl-20-O-acetyl boucerin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-hevetopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranoside, 12β-O-benzoyl-20-O-tigloyl boucerin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranoside, 12β-20-O-dibenzoyl boucerin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-β-D-cymaropyranoside. Finally, the isolated compounds were evaluated for their quinone reductase induction.