• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.224-249
• /
• 2023

Gastric cancer is heterogeneous in morphology, biology, genomics, and treatment response. Alterations in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, microsatellite instability (MSI) status, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) can be used as biomarkers. Since the combination of fluoropyrimidine/platinum plus trastuzumab that was investigated in the ToGA trial was approved as a standard of care in HER2-positive patients in 2010, no other agents showed efficacy in the first- (HELOISE, LOGiC, JACOB trials) and second- (TyTAN, GATSBY, T-ACT trials) line treatments. Despite the success in treating breast cancer, various anti-HER2 agents, including a monoclonal antibody (pertuzumab), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC; trastuzumab emtansine [T-DM1]), and a small molecule (lapatinib) failed to translate into clinical benefits until the KEYNOTE-811 (first-line) and DESTINY-Gastri01 (≥second-line) trials were conducted. The incorporation of HER2-directed treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the form of a monoclonal antibody or ADC is now approved as a standard treatment. Despite the promising results of new agents (engineered monoclonal antibodies, bi-specific antibodies, fusion proteins, and small molecules) in the early phase of development, the management of HER2-positive gastric cancer requires further optimization to achieve precision medicine with a chemotherapeutic backbone. Treatment resistance is a complex process that can be overcome using a combination of chemotherapy, targeted agents, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, including novel agents. HER2 status must be reassessed in patients undergoing anti-HER2 treatment with disease progression after the first-line treatment. As a general guideline, patients who need systemic treatment should receive chemotherapy plus targeted agents, anti-angiogenic agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or their combinations.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.10-23
• /
• 2007

Hallmarks of clinical behaviors of adenoid cystic carcinoma(ACC) of salivary glands are the delayed onset of vascular metastasis and poor responses to classical chemotherapeutic agents. Poor prognoses from salivary ACC are caused by lung metastases that are resistant to conventional therapy. Therefore, cellular and molecular characteristics that influence the dissemination of metastatic cells are important for the design of more effective treatment of salivary ACC. Tumor angiogenesis has been known to be essential for the distant metastasis of malignant cells. So, we determined expressions of angiogenic proteins in benign (pleomorphic adenoma) and malignant (ACC, mucoepidermoid carcinoma) tumors of salivary glands and compared each other and to those in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Using surgical specimens, we performed immunohistochemical assays with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), phosphorylated VEGFR-2 (pVEGFR-2), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and interleukin (IL)-8 antibodies. Most angiogenic factors were overexpressed in malignant salivary tumors than in pleomorphic adenoma which is benign nature. Moreover, ACC demonstrated more expression of VEGFR-2 than that of squamous cell carcinoma which used as control. Conclusively, these data show those angiogenic factors produced by salivary gland tumors may affect the propagation and metastasis of malignant cells of salivary tumors, and could be used as biomarkers for the malignant transformation of salivary gland tumors. Prospectively, although further studies will be needed, these biomarkers related to angiogenesis can be molecular targets for the therapy of salivary ACC, which has propensity for delayed vascular metastasis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.422-429
• /
• 2009

Invasion and metastasis is the main cause of cancer mortality. Angiogenesis is a prerequisite for the tumor growth and metastasis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the key enzymes playing in the invasive growth and metastasis of cancer as well as angiogenesis. Xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone of the Hop plant (Humulus lupulus L), has been reported to suppress cancer invasion and angiogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the antiinvasive effects of xanthohumol (1) and its synthetic derivatives, 4'-O-methylxanthohumol SEM ether (2), xanthohumol C (3), and xanthohumol C MOM ether (4) in relation to MMP expression in HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells. The compound 1 and its derivative, 3 and 4, significantly inhibited serum-induced HT-1080 cell invasion, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-enhanced activity and expression level of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in a concentration-dependant manner. In addition, they inhibited TPA-enhanced expression of MT1-MMP with relatively weak inhibition in tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 level. The compound 1 significantly decreased the cell viability, whereas the derivatives, 2 and 3 showed no cytotoxicity, and compound 4 showed slight cytotoxicity in the cells. Furthermore, in a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, the derivatives 3 and 4 dose-dependently suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis, which is similar to that of compound 1. Taken together, the results indicate that compounds 3 and 4 may be valuable anti-angiogenic agents in the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer and inflammation working through suppression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.8
• /
• pp.1338-1343
• /
• 2007

Angiogenesis is an essential step in tumor progress and metastasis. Accordingly, small molecules that inhibit angiogenesis would appear to be a promising way to cure angiogenesis-related diseases, including cancer. In the present study, we report that streptochlorin, a small molecule from marine actinomycete, exhibits a potent antiangiogenic activity. The compound potently inhibited endothelial cell invasion and tube formation stimulated with vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) at low micromolar concentrations where it showed no cytotoxicity to the cells. In addition, streptochlorin inhibited TNF-${\alpha}$-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in the newly developed cell-based reporter gene assay. These data demonstrate that streptochlorin is a new inhibitor of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and can be a basis for the development of novel anti-angiogenic agents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.609-617
• /
• 2013

Renal cell carcinomas make up 3% of all cancers and one in four patients is metastatic at time of diagnosis. This cancer is one of the most resistant to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Studies have shown that the efficiency of interferon-alpha and/or interleukin-2 based immune therapies is limited in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma but latest advances in molecular biology and genetic science have resulted in better understanding of its biology. Tumor angiogenesis, tumor proliferation and metastasis develop by the activation of signal message pathways playing a role in the development of renal cell carcinomas. Better definition of these pathways has caused an increase in preclinic and clinical studies into target directed treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Many recent studies have shown that numerous anti-angiogenic agents have marked clinical activity. In this article, the focus is on general characteristics of molecular pathways playing a major role in renal cell carcinoma, reviewing clinical information onagents used in the target directed treatment of metastatic lesions.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.273-282
• /
• 2017

Chemoprevention entails the use of synthetic agents or naturally occurring dietary phytochemicals to prevent cancer development and progression. One promising chemopreventive agent, procyanidin, is a naturally occurring polyphenol that exhibits beneficial health effects including anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antitumor activities. Currently, many preclinical reports suggest procyanidin as a promising lead compound for cancer prevention and treatment. As a potential anticancer agent, procyanidin has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cells in "in vitro and in vivo". Procyanidin has numerous targets, many of which are components of intracellular signaling pathways, including proinflammatory mediators, regulators of cell survival and apoptosis, and angiogenic and metastatic mediators, and modulates a set of upstream kinases, transcription factors, and their regulators. Although remarkable progress characterizing the molecular mechanisms and targets underlying the anticancer properties of procyanidin has been made in the past decade, the chemopreventive targets or biomarkers of procyanidin action have not been completely elucidated. This review focuses on the apoptosis and tumor inhibitory effects of procyanidin with respect to its bioavailability.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.171-180
• /
• 2024

Background: Epimers of ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) have a low bioavailability and are prone to deglycosylation, which produces epimers of ginsenoside Rh2 (S-Rh2 and R-Rh2) and protopanaxadiol (S-PPD and R-PPD). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and potency of these molecules as anti-cancer agents. Methods: Crystal violet staining was used to study the anti-proliferatory action of the molecules on a human epithelial breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and compare their potency. Cell death and cell cycle were studied using flow cytometry and mode of cell death was studied using live cell imaging. Anti-angiogenic effects of the drug were studied using loop formation assay. Molecular docking showed the interaction of these molecules with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) and aquaporin (AQP) water channels. VEGF bioassay was used to study the interaction of Rh2 with VEGFR2, in vitro. Results: HUVEC was the more sensitive cell line to the anti-proliferative effects of S-Rh2, S-PPD and R-PPD. The molecules induced necroptosis/necrosis in MDA-MB-231 and apoptosis in HUVEC. S-Rh2 was the most potent inhibitor of loop formation. In silico molecular docking predicted a good binding score between Rh2 or PPD and the ATP-binding pocket of VEGFR2. VEGF bioassay showed that Rh2 was an allosteric modulator of VEGFR2. In addition, SRh2 and PPD had good binding scores with AQP1 and AQP5, both of which play roles in cell migration and proliferation. Conclusion: The combination of these molecules might be responsible for the anti-cancer effects observed by Rg3.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.85-90
• /
• 2003

Microtubule-binding molecules have been developed as anti-cancer agents to overcome the toxicities of current chemotherapeutics and also have potential for use as anti-angiogenic agents. In this work, we examined the effect of novel triazine compounds, Tubulyzines (microTUBUle LYsing triaZINE), derived from the orthogonal synthesis of a triazine library, on endothelial progenitor cell differentiation. When mononuclear cells isolated from human cord blood were cultured on fibronectin-coated plates for 7 days, all the Tubulyzine compounds A, B, and C (TA, TB, and TC) tested decreased the number of adherent cells in a dose-dependent manner in a coo. centration ranges of 2-5 to $80\mu\textrm{M}$. TA ($IC_{50}$=$20\mu\textrm{M}$) showed slightly more potent activity than TB and TC. Adherent cells treated with TA also exhibited a lower level of ability to ac-LDL uptake, with low ratios of positive cells out of total adherent cells, in a dose-dependent manner and weak expression of endothelial lineage markers, KDR, CD31, and vWF at $20\mu\textrm{M}$. Therefore, these results suggest that tubulyzine A (TA) can be effectively used for the inhibition of new vessel growth by inhibiting differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.990-994
• /
• 2004

Cancer is an intractable disease for humans to overcome. Recently natural products or Oriental prescriptions have been on the spotlight to develop anticancer agents with little side-effects and good efficacy. KamikeKyuktang has been used for the treatment of cancer in Oriental medicine. However, its anti-cancer mechanism still remains unclear. KMKKTE is an ethanol extract of KamikeKyuktang composed of 12 medicinal herbs. Anti-proliferative effects of KMKKT was investigated on Lewis lung carcinoma cell (LLC) and A549 (human lung cancer cells). Half-maximal inhibition of the LLC and A549 cell proliferation by KMKKTE was found approximately 125㎍/㎖ and 250㎍/㎖, respectively. It also effectively inhibited the proliferation of HUVEC cells treated by bFGF and VEGF up to 30% of control at 125㎍/㎖ and the cell migration to 80% at 25 ㎍/㎖ in concentration dependent manner. Tube formation of HUVEC cells on matrigel also was significantly suppressed from 25㎍/㎖ of KMKKTE. Taken together, these results demonstrate that KMKKTE has antiangiogenic activity and be applied to angiogenesis dependent cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.1841-1846
• /
• 2013

Anti-angiogenic agents have played crucial roles in the treatment of ovarian cancer in recent years, but potential benefits of endostatin have been largely unexplored. The present retrospective study evaluated its efficacy and toxicity with two cohorts of patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. One cohort received gemcitabine plus endostar (rh-endostatin), and the second cohort received gemcitabine regimen alone, with totals of 31 and 27 patients, respectively. The main endpoints were disease control rate (DCR), PFS, overall survival (OS) and safety. There were statistically significant differences in DCR (70.9% vs. 40.7%; P = 0.02) and PFS (6.3 months vs. 3.2 months, P = 0.001) between the two cohorts. Though the endostar cohort also improved median OS by 2.1 months, there was no statistically significant difference compared with gemcitabine alone cohort in this case (12.5 months vs. 10.4 months, P = 0.201). Treatment was well tolerated for most patients, and toxicity of endostar was negligible. Gemcitabine plus endostar significantly improved the prognosis in patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, especially in those with malignant effusion. The endostar-containing regimen is recommended in this setting.