• BMB Reports
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.97-102
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• 2013

The use of various cancer cell lines can recapitulate known tumor-associated mutations and genetically define cancer subsets. This approach also enables comparative surveys of associations between cancer mutations and drug responses. Here, we analyzed the effects of ~40,000 compounds on cancer cell lines that showed diverse mutation-dependent sensitivity profiles. Over 1,000 compounds exhibited unique sensitivity on cell lines with specific mutational genotypes, and these compounds were clustered into six different classes of mutation-oriented sensitivity. The present analysis provides new insights into the relationship between somatic mutations and selectivity response of chemicals, and these results should have applications related to predicting and optimizing thera-peutic windows for anti-cancer agents.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.308-317
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• 2021

Cancer is the leading cause of death and is on the rise worldwide. Until 2010, the development of targeted treatment was mainly focused on the growth mechanisms of cancer. Since then, drugs with mechanisms related to tumor immunity, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors, have proven effective, and most pharmaceutical companies are striving to develop related drugs. Programmed cell death-1 and programmed cell death ligand-1 inhibitors have shown great success in various cancer types. They showed durable and sustainable responses and were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, the response to inhibitors showed low percentages of cancer patients; 15% to 20%. Therefore, combination strategies with immunotherapy and conventional treatments were used to overcome the low response rate. Studies on combination therapy have typically reported improvements in the response rate and efficacy in several cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and urogenital cancers. The combination of chemotherapy or targeted agents with immunotherapy is one of the leading pathways for cancer treatment.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.198-204
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• 2004

Tumor cell proliferation is considered to be a useful prognostic indicator of tumor aggressiveness and tumor response to therapy but in vitro measurement of individual proliferation is complex and tedious work. PET imaging provides a noninvasive approach to measure tumor growth rate in situ. Early approaches have used $^{18}F$-FDG or methionine to monitor proliferation status. These 2 tracers detect changes in glucose and amino acid metabolism, respectively, and therefore provide only an indirect measure of proliferation status. More recent studies have focused on DNA synthesis itself as a marker of cell proliferation. Cell lines and tissues with a high proliferation rate require high rates of DNA synthesis. $[^{11}C]Thymidine$ was the first radiotracer for noninvasive imaging of tumor proliferation. The short half-life of $^{11}C$ and rapid metabolism of $[^{11}C]Thymidine$ in vivo make the radiotracer less suitable for routing use. Halogenated thymidine analogs such as 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine (IUdR) can be successfully used as cell proliferation markers for in vitro studies because these compounds are rapidly incorporated into newly synthesized DNA. IUdR has been evaluated as a potential in vivo tracer in nuclear medicing but the image qualify and the calculation of proliferation rates are impaired by its rapid in vivo degradation. Hence, the thymidine analog $3'-deoxy-3'-^{18}F-fluorothymidine$ (FLT) was recently introduced as a stable proliferation marker with a suitable nuclide half-life and stable in vivo. $[^{18}F]FLT$ is phosphorylated to 3-fluorothymidine monophosphate by thymidine kinase 1 and reflects thymidine kinase 1 activity in proliferating cell. $[^{18}F]FLT$ PET is feasible in clincal use and well correlates with cellular proliferation. Choline is a precursor for the biosynthesis of phospholipids (in particular, phosphatidylcholine), which is the essential component of all eukaryotic cell membranes and $[^{11}C]choline$, which is a new marker for cellular proliferation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권12호
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• pp.5281-5285
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• 2016

Background: Brachytherapy is the most commonly used conservative treatment for the uveal melanoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate therapeutic results of Ruthenium-106 plaque brachytherapy in the management of localized uveal melanoma cases. Methods: We reviewed retrospectively the clinical records of all patients treated in our department for an uveal melanoma, undergoing Ruthenium-106 plaque brachytherapy, from January 1996 to December 2015. We focused on clinical features, therapeutic characteristics, local and distant tumor control and side effects. Results: Nineteen patients were enrolled in our study. Mean age was 56.2 years (28-79) and the sex ratio was 1.37:1 males to females. Diagnosis was made on the basis of ophthalmological clinical examination, angiography, ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance. Median tumor diameter was 9.7 mm (6-13) and median thickness 4.4 mm (2.5-8). The dose of Ruthenium-106 plaque brachytherapy prescribed to the apex of each tumor was 70 Gy in all cases. The median radiation dose to the sclera surface was 226.4 Gy (range: 179.6-342.3) and the median total application time 115.2 hours (range: 27 to 237). After a median follow-up of 61.5 months, local control was achieved in 17 patients (89%): 16 demonstrated a partial tumor response and 1 tumor stabilization. Two patients suffered local progression leading to enucleation, one dying of hepatic metastasis. Radiation-induced complications were cataracts in 3 cases and vitreal hemorrhage in 2. Conclusion: Ruthenium-106 plaque brachytherapy is an efficient treatment for localized uveal melanoma, offering good local control with low toxicity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권6호
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• pp.487-496
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• 2014

Angiotensinogen (AGT), the precursor of angiotensin I, is known to be involved in tumor angiogenesis and associated with the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis. This study was undertaken to determine the role played by AGT in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in tumor progression and metastasis. It was found that the number of EPC colonies formed by AGT heterozygous knockout ($AGT^{+/-}$) cells was less than that formed by wild-type (WT) cells, and that the migration and tube formation abilities of $AGT^{+/-}$ EPCs were significantly lower than those of WT EPCs. In addition, the gene expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Flk1, angiopoietin (Ang)-1, Ang-2, Tie-2, stromal derived factor (SDF)-1, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), and of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were suppressed in $AGT^{+/-}$ EPCs. Furthermore, the expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-$1{\alpha}$and $-2{\alpha}$ were downregulated in $AGT^{+/-}$ early EPCs under hypoxic conditions, suggesting a blunting of response to hypoxia. Moreover, the activation of Akt/eNOS signaling pathways induced by VEGF, epithelial growth factor (EGF), or SDF-$1{\alpha}$ were suppressed in $AGT^{+/-}$ EPCs. In $AGT^{+/-}$ mice, the incorporation of EPCs into the tumor vasculature was significantly reduced, and lung tumor growth and melanoma metastasis were attenuated. In conclusion, AGT is required for hypoxia-induced vasculogenesis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.357-370
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• 2012

Radiation therapy, the most commonly used for the treatment of brain tumors, has been shown to be of major significance in tumor control and survival rate of brain tumor patients. About 200,000 patients with brain tumor are treated with either partial large field or whole brain radiation every year in the United States. The use of radiation therapy for treatment of brain tumors, however, may lead to devastating functional deficits in brain several months to years after treatment. In particular, whole brain radiation therapy results in a significant reduction in learning and memory in brain tumor patients as long-term consequences of treatment. Although a number of in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the pathogenesis of radiation-mediated brain injury, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which radiation induces damage to normal tissue in brain remain largely unknown. Therefore, this review focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms of whole brain radiation-induced cognitive impairment and the identification of novel therapeutic targets. Specifically, we review the current knowledge about the effects of whole brain radiation on pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory pathways, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)/tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) system and extracellular matrix (ECM), and physiological angiogenesis in brain. These studies may provide a foundation for defining a new cellular and molecular basis related to the etiology of cognitive impairment that occurs among patients in response to whole brain radiation therapy. It may also lead to new opportunities for therapeutic interventions for brain tumor patients who are undergoing whole brain radiation therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.497-506
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• 2021

Besides using for hair removal, depilatory agents have been considered to be used as a penetration enhancer for transepidermal drug delivery. To examine the effect in hair follicles (HFs), two commercially available depilatory creams were tested on the dorsal skin of mice to monitor the effect deep into the skin structure. Fifteen male BALB/c mice were used in this study. Depilatory creams were applied to the dorsal skin of the same animal using shaved and untouched treatments as controls to minimize individual differences. Skin samples were collected at three days, one week and two weeks (n = 5 for each) after the treatment, and subjected for hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunohistochemical analysis for proinflammatory cytokines. The morphological examination showed an increase in the thickness of epidermal layer of the depilatory cream-treated skin at early time points and in the subcutis at two weeks. Depilatory cream promoted entry of anagen phase and increased the number of hair follicles in the subcutis at one and two weeks. Immunohistochemistry showed elevated percentages of dermal fibroblasts expressing interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and tumor necrosis factor-β. Shaving process increased the thickness of epidermis and dermis as depilatory creams did, but did neither induce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the dermal fibroblasts nor the number of HFs. The results suggested that the commercially available depilatory creams caused a transient minor inflammatory response of the skin and increased the levels of cytokines that might subsequently affect hair growth.

• BMB Reports
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• 제52권3호
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• pp.214-219
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• 2019

The role of tumor-proximal factors in tumor plasticity during chemoresistance and metastasis following chemotherapy is well studied. However, the role of endothelial cell (EC) derived paracrine factors in tumor plasticity, their effect on chemotherapeutic outcome, and the mechanism by which these paracrine factors modulate the tumor microenvironment are not well understood. In this study, we report a novel mechanism by which endothelial miR-125a and let-7e-mediated regulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling can manipulate vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. We found that endothelial IL-6 levels were significantly higher in response to cisplatin treatment, whereas levels of IL-6 upon cisplatin exposure remained unchanged in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. We additionally found an inverse correlation between IL-6 and miR-125a/let-7e expression levels in cisplatin treated ECs. Interestingly, IL-6, IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) genes in the IL-6 pathway are closely regulated by miR-125a and let-7e, which directly target its 3' untranslated region. Functional analyses revealed that endothelial miR-125a and let-7e inhibit IL-6-induced adhesion of monocytes to ECs. Furthermore, conditioned medium from cisplatin treated ECs induced a significantly higher formation of VM in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells as compared to that from intact ECs; this effect of cisplatin treatment was abrogated by concurrent overexpression of miR-125a and let-7e. Overall, this study reveals a novel EC-tumor cell crosstalk mediated by the endothelial miR-125a/let-7e-IL-6 signaling axis, which might improve chemosensitivity and provide potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.33.1-33.19
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• 2020

We tested how adjuvants effect in a cancer vaccine model using an epitope derived from an autoactivation loop of membrane-type protease serine protease 14 (PRSS14; loop metavaccine) in mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-polyoma middle tumor-antigen (PyMT) system and in 2 other orthotopic mouse systems. Earlier, we reported that loop metavaccine effectively prevented progression and metastasis regardless of adjuvant types and TH types of hosts in tail-vein injection systems. However, the loop metavaccine with Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA) reduced cancer progression and metastasis while that with alum, to our surprise, were adversely affected in 3 tumor bearing mouse models. The amounts of loop peptide specific antibodies inversely correlated with tumor burden and metastasis, meanwhile both T_H1 and T_H2 isotypes were present regardless of host type and adjuvant. Tumor infiltrating myeloid cells such as eosinophil, monocyte, and neutrophil were asymmetrically distributed among 2 adjuvant groups with loop metavaccine. Systemic expression profiling using the lymph nodes of the differentially immunized MMTV-PyMT mouse revealed that adjuvant types, as well as loop metavaccine can change the immune signatures. Specifically, loop metavaccine itself induces T_H2 and T_H17 responses but reduces T_H1 and T_reg responses regardless of adjuvant type, whereas CFA but not alum increased follicular T_H response. Among the myeloid signatures, eosinophil was most distinct between CFA and alum. Survival analysis of breast cancer patients showed that eosinophil chemokines can be useful prognostic factors in PRSS14 positive patients. Based on these observations, we concluded that multiple immune parameters are to be considered when applying a vaccine strategy to cancer patients.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.118-126
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• 2001

목적 : 본 연구에서는 원발성 간암의 국소 방사선치료 시 조사선량을 높여준 것이 종양의 반응의 향상을 유도하였는지 분석하고자 하였다. 또한, 저선량을 조사하였던 환자들과 고선량을 조사하였던 환자들의 종양의 반응 및 부작용과 이에 영향을 미치는 인자들을 분석함으로써 향후 적절한 조사선량 범위를 결정하는데 유용한 기준을 제시하고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법 : 대상 환자의 선정 기준은 방사선치료의 과거력이 없는 경우, 간외전이가 없는 경우, 간경변증의 정도가 Child's class A 또는 B군인 경우, 종양이 전체 간 용적의 2/3를 넘지 않는 경우, 전신수행도가 ECOG 3기 이상으로 악화되지 않은 경우로 하였다. 1992년 1월부터 2000년 3월까지 원발성 간암에 국소 방사선치료를 시행 받은 환자들 중 158명이 연구 대상에 포함되었다. 조사영역은 종양과 주변 부위 $2\~3\;cm$를 포함하였고 일일 1.8 Gy씩 주 5회 조사되었다. 방사선치료 전과 종료 후 $4\~6$주째의 컴퓨터 단층 촬영 영상 및 자기 공명 영상, 간동맥 혈관 촬영 영상 등을 이용하여 조사영역 내의 종양의 반응을 평가하였다. 주 1회 혈액 검사를 시행하여 말초 혈액 혈구수 및 간기능을 관찰하였다. 치료의 종료 후 체중 증가, 복수, 간종대 등의 소견을 관찰하였고 4주와 8주에 간기능 검사를 시행하였다. 위장관계의 부작용은 상부위장관 내시경을 시행하여 확인하였다. 종양의 관해 정도에 따라 반응군과 비반응군으로 구분한 후 조사선량의 분포를 통계적으로 분석하였다. 또한, 연구대상을 조사선량에 따라 세 군으로 분류하고 종양의 반응과 임상적 특성을 분석하였다. 결과 : 종양의 반응은 106명이 부분 관해를 보여서 반응군의 비율은 $67.1\%$이었다. 완전 관해는 없었다. 종양이 $50\%$ 이하로 감소된 경우가 41명$(25.9\%)$, 종양의 진행을 보인 경우가 11명$(7\%)$이었다. 반응군의 평균 조사선량은 $50.1{\pm}6.6\;Gy$이었고 비반응군의 평균 조사선량은 $44.3{\pm}9.0\;Gy$로 통계적으로 의미 있는 차이를 보였다. 다변량 분석에서도 조사선량이 p-value 0.001로 유일하게 의미 있는 인자로 나타났다. 종양의 반응률은 조사선량이 40 Gy 미만인 군에서 $29.2\%$, 40 Gy에서 50 Gy사이인 군에서 $68.6\%$, 50 Gy를 넘는 환자 군에서 $77.1\%$로 나타났다. 종양의 크기는 40 Gy 미만인 군에서 $9.8{\pm}2.6\;cm$, 40 Gy에서 50 Gy사이인 군에서 $9.8{\pm}2.6\;cm$, 50 Gy를 넘는 환자 군에서 $8.3{\pm}3.2\;cm$로 고선량을 조사한 군에서 작았다. 간문맥 혈전증은 각각 $66.7\%,\;64.7\%,\;37.3\%$에서 양성으로 50 Gy를 넘는 선량이 조사된 군에서 상대적으로 간문맥 혈전증의 양성률이 낮았다. 방사선 간염, 십이지장의 궤양은 조사선량을 증가시킬수록 증가하는 경향을 나타내었다. 경미한 정도의 복수가 발생하거나 전형적인 방사선 간염의 발생, 위장관계의 염증 등이 치료 전 간경변증이 심할수록 현저히 많이 발생하는 경향을 보였다. 결론 : 원발성 간암에서 국소 방사선치료를 시행하는 경우 고선량이 조사될수록 반응군의 비율이 증가하는 선량반응 관계가 성립함을 확인할 수 있었다. 고선량이 조사될수록 대상 환자의 종양의 크기가 작았고 간문맥 혈전증의 비율도 적었는데 이는 병기가 낮은 경우 완치를 목표로 오히려 고선량을 투여하는 경향 때문으로 생각되었다. 조사선량이 50 Gy를 넘는 경우 조사선량의 증가에 따른 반응률의 향상이 현저하지 않은 반면 방사선 간염의 발생은 간경변증의 정도에 크게 영향을 받는다는 점을 고려할 때, 조사선량의 증가는 반드시 치료를 받는 대상 환자의 간기능과 간경변증의 정도 등을 고려하여 조심스럽게 진행되어야 할 것으로 생각된다.