七甲川花菁染料作为肿瘤靶向和光动力治疗载体的研究进展

七甲川花菁近红外荧光染料(NIRF)可直接被肿瘤细胞特异性吸收,具有肿瘤靶向性。与化疗药物偶联后,该类染料可通过血脑屏障将药物转运至肿瘤部位,不仅可以减少化疗药物使用剂量,降低药物的毒副作用,也可通过近红外荧光成像实现对肿瘤治疗的实时监控。七甲川花菁染料所展示的线粒体毒性和光敏特性,可直接杀死肿瘤细胞,抑制肿瘤新生血管的形成。通过纳米包裹,能够显著增强该类染料的肿瘤靶向能力,实现实时跟踪药物释放情况。七甲川花菁染料特异性识别肿瘤细胞的能力与有机阴离子转运肽的作用密切相关,缺氧和线粒体膜电位也参与了染料吸收的调控。这些发现有利于将近红外荧光染料应用于肿瘤的靶向治疗。     

Bacterially-Derived Nanocells for Tumor-Targeted Delivery of Chemotherapeutics and Cell Cycle Inhibitors

Chemotherapeutic drug therapy in cancer is seriously hampered by severe toxicity primarily due to indiscriminate drug distribution and consequent collateral damage to normal cells. Molecularly targeted drugs such as cell cycle inhibitors are being developed to achieve a higher degree of tumor cell specificity and reduce toxic side effects. Unfortunately, relative to the cytotoxics, many of the molecularly targeted drugs are less potent and the target protein is expressed only at certain stages of the cell cycle thus necessitating regimens like continuous infusion therapy to arrest a significant number of tumor cells in a heterogeneous tumor mass. Here we discuss targeted drug delivery nanovectors and a recently reported bacterially-derived 400nm sized minicell that can be packaged with therapeutically significant concentrations of chemotherapeutic drugs, targeted to tumor cell surface receptors and effect intracellular drug delivery with highly significant anti-tumor effects in-vivo. We also report that molecularly targeted drugs can also be packaged in minicells and targeted to tumor cells with highly significant tumor growth-inhibition and regression in mouse xenografts despite administration of minute amounts of drug. This targeted intracellular drug delivery may overcome many of the hurdles associated with the delivery of cytotoxic and molecularly targeted drugs.     

Prodrug activation enzymes in cancer gene therapy

Among the broad array of genes that have been evaluated for tumor therapy, those encoding prodrug activation enzymes are especially appealing as they directly complement ongoing clinical chemotherapeutic regimes. These enzymes can activate prodrugs that have low inherent toxicity using both bacterial and yeast enzymes, or enhance prodrug activation by mammalian enzymes. The general advantage of the former is the large therapeutic index that can be achieved, and of the latter, the non-immunogenicity (supporting longer periods of prodrug activation) and the fact that the prodrugs will continue to have some efficacy after transgene expression is extinguished. This review article describes 13 different prodrug activation schemes developed over the last 15 years, two of which - activation of ganciclovir by viral thymidine kinase and activation of 5-fluorocytosine to 5-fluorouracil - are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. Essentially all of these prodrug activation enzymes mediate toxicity through disruption of DNA replication, which occurs at differentially high rates in tumor cells compared with most normal cells. In cancer gene therapy, vectors target delivery of therapeutic genes to tumor cells, in contrast to the use of antibodies in antibody-directed prodrug therapy. Vector targeting is usually effected by direct injection into the tumor mass or surrounding tissues, but the efficiency of gene delivery is usually low. Thus it is important that the activated drug is able to act on non-transduced tumor cells. This bystander effect may require cell-to-cell contact or be mediated by facilitated diffusion or extracellular activation to target neighboring tumor cells. Effects at distant sites are believed to be mediated by the immune system, which can be mobilized to recognize tumor antigens by prodrug-activated gene therapy. Prodrug activation schemes can be combined with each other and with other treatments, such as radiation, in a synergistic manner. Use of prodrug wafers for intratumoral drug activation and selective permeabilization of the tumor vasculature to prodrugs and vectors should further increase the value of this new therapeutic modality.     

脂质运载蛋白-2在肿瘤进展中的作用

铁元素通过参与氧化损伤、分泌炎性因子、改变信号通路、影响免疫系统等过程,在肿瘤的发生发展中发挥重要的促进作用。靶向铁的治疗是肿瘤治疗的重要策略之一。转铁蛋白参与肿瘤细胞铁的运输,是肿瘤治疗的重要靶标。脂质运载蛋白-2(lipocalin-2,LCN2)是由肿瘤微环境中的肿瘤相关巨噬细胞分泌的胞内可运输铁离子的蛋白质。LCN2在多种类型的肿瘤中表达均明显升高,有望成为相关癌症不良预后的标志物,是近年来研究的热点。LCN2主要通过结合不同的配体与受体参与铁的运输,保护基质金属蛋白酶-9活性,分泌细胞因子等机制,参与肿瘤细胞的增殖与凋亡、肿瘤细胞的侵袭与转移,以及肿瘤血管生成过程而影响肿瘤的治疗与预后。其中,LCN2的存在形式不同,对铁的运输方式不同,决定其对肿瘤细胞增殖与凋亡的调控作用不同,以及LCN2对信号通路影响的差异,造成LCN2在不同肿瘤,甚至相同肿瘤的研究中获得不一致结果,具体机制尚待进一步研究。本文就LCN2蛋白的结构特征、LCN2蛋白与肿瘤进展的关系,及其在肿瘤进展中可能的作用机制进行综述,为进一步的药物开发与临床研究提供理论参考。     

Tumor extracellular acidity-activated nanoparticles as drug delivery systems for enhanced cancer therapy

pH-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) are currently under intense development as drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. Among various pH-responsiveness, NPs that are designed to target slightly acidic extracellular pH environment (pH_e) of solid tumors provide a new paradigm of tumor targeted drug delivery. Compared to conventional specific surface targeting approaches, the pH_e-targeting strategy is considered to be more general due to the common occurrence of acidic microenvironment in solid tumors. This review mainly focuses on the design and applications of pH_e-activated NPs, with special emphasis on pH_e-activated surface charge reversal NPs, for drug and siRNA delivery to tumors. The novel development of NPs described here offers great potential for achieving better therapeutic effects in cancer treatment.     

Macrophages: obligate partners for tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastasis

Macrophages within the tumor microenvironment facilitate angiogenesis and extracellular-matrix breakdown and remodeling and promote tumor cell motility. Recent studies reveal that direct communication between macrophages and tumor cells leads to invasion and egress of tumor cells into the blood vessels (intravasation). Thus, macrophages are at the center of the invasion microenvironment and are an important drug target for cancer therapy.     

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate-1 plays a role for in vivo tumor growth via intercellular communication

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate-1 (STEAP-1) is a novel cell surface protein overexpressed only in the prostate among normal tissues and various types of cancer including prostate, bladder, lung, and ovarian cancer. Although its function in prostate and tumor cells has been remained unclear, due to its unique and restricted expression, STEAP-1 is expected to be an attractive target for cancer therapy. Here, we show that knockdown of STEAP-1 in human cancer cells caused the retardation of tumor growth compared with wild type in vivo. In contrast, STEAP-1 introduced tumor cells augmented the tumor growth compared with STEAP-1-negative wild type cells. Using dye transfer assay, we demonstrate that the STEAP-1 is involved in intercellular communication between tumor cells and adjacent tumor stromal cells and therefore may play a key role for the tumor growth in vivo. These data indicate the inhibition of the STEAP-1 function or expression can be a new strategy for cancer therapy.     

LAT1 inhibitor JPH203 sensitizes cancer cells to radiation by enhancing radiation-induced cellular senescence

L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is important for transporting neutral amino acids into cells. LAT1 expression is correlated with cancer malignancy, suggesting that LAT1 is a promising target for cancer therapy. JPH203, a potential novel drug targeting LAT1, has been shown to suppress tumor growth in various cancer cell lines. However, a combination study of JPH203 and radiation therapy has not been reported. Here, we examined the effects of JPH203 on radiosensitivity after irradiation in A549 and MIA Paca-2 cells. We showed that X-irradiation increased cellular neutral amino acid uptake via LAT1 in both cell lines. JPH203 inhibited the radiation-induced increase in neutral amino acid uptake. We demonstrated that JPH203, at minimally toxic concentrations, significantly sensitized cancer cells to radiation. JPH203 significantly downregulated mTOR activity and enhanced cellular senescence post-irradiation without reducing ATP and GSH levels. These results indicate that LAT1 inhibition by JPH203 sensitizes cancer cells to radiation by enhancing cellular senescence via mTOR downregulation. Thus, JPH203 may be a potent anti-cancer drug in combination with radiation therapy.     

细胞休眠在肿瘤耐药和复发中的作用（英文）

Despite progresses achieved in the therapy of tumors, the prognosis of patients is still limited by reccurence of residual tumor cells. Cancer cell dormancy plays a pivotal role in cancer relapse and drug resistance. In recent years, tumor cells undergoing EMT(epithelial-mesenchymal transition), CSCs(cancer stem cells) and CTCs(circulating tumor cells) are proved to share some common characteristics and show a cell cycle arrest phenotype. Thus, understanding the dormant stage of tumor cells could facilitate us in discovering ways to accelerate the development of tumor therapy and prevent its reccurence. In this review, we summarize the specific process of tumor cell dormancy induced by pharmacotherapy, and consider that dormancy is an initiative response rather than a passive defense to cytotoxicity. Besides, we probe into the mechanisms of tumor cell dormancy-mediated drug resistance, anticipating paving a way to target dormant tumor cells and result in better clinical outcomes.     

Eph receptor A10 has a potential as a target for a prostate cancer therapy

We recently identified Eph receptor A10 (EphA10) as a novel breast cancer-specific protein. Moreover, we also showed that an in-house developed anti-EphA10 monoclonal antibody (mAb) significantly inhibited proliferation of breast cancer cells, suggesting EphA10 as a promising target for breast cancer therapy. However, the only other known report for EphA10 was its expression in the testis at the mRNA level. Therefore, the potency of EphA10 as a drug target against cancers other than the breast is not known. The expression of EphA10 in a wide variety of cancer cells was studied and the potential of EphA10 as a drug target was evaluated. Screening of EphA10 mRNA expression showed that EphA10 was overexpressed in breast cancer cell lines as well as in prostate and colon cancer cell lines. Thus, we focused on prostate cancers in which EphA10 expression was equivalent to that in breast cancers. As a result, EphA10 expression was clearly shown in clinical prostate tumor tissues as well as in cell lines at the mRNA and protein levels. In order to evaluate the potential of EphA10 as a drug target, we analyzed complement-dependent cytotoxicity effects of anti-EphA10 mAb and found that significant cytotoxicity was mediated by the expression of EphA10. Therefore, the idea was conceived that the overexpression of EphA10 in prostate cancers might have a potential as a target for prostate cancer therapy, and formed the basis for the studies reported here.     

环氧合酶-2在胃癌中的研究进展

我国胃癌发病人数居全球首位,其发生机制及安全有效的治疗是研究重点。大量研究结果表明,环氧化酶-2(Cyclooxygenase-2,COX-2)过度表达促进肿瘤细胞增殖和抑制细胞凋亡,并与胃癌的发生发展、淋巴转移、分化程度、病理分期及预后密切相关。随着COX-2与胃癌关系的研究的深入,COX-2已逐渐成为胃癌治疗的新的靶点。近年来,针对细胞受体、信号传导、细胞周期和血管生成等靶点的抗肿瘤治疗已成为肿瘤治疗研究的新方向。因此,以COX-2为特异靶点的治疗策略有望为胃癌治疗提供新的思路。     

靶向表皮生长因子受体的全新小分子配体筛选

肿瘤靶向分子的筛选一直是肿瘤治疗和早期诊断的研究热点 . 表皮生长因子受体 (EGFR) 在很多肿瘤细胞表面过量表达,是一个理想的药物输送靶点 . 选择了 EGFR 表面不同于表皮生长因子 (EGF) 结合位点的一个凹陷部位作为计算机模拟筛选的结合位点,然后使用 DOCK 软件包对 DTP-Plated 有机小分子数据库进行了两遍筛选,最后选择了 7 个有机小分子作为可能的靶向分子 . BIAcore 体外结合实验对所选择的小分子样品进行了进一步的验证,结果表明,小分子 NSC51186 能特异地与 EGFR 结合 . 小分子 NSC51186 和 EGFR 之间的动力学常数也得到进一步的测定 . 新的靶向分子和药物、纳米粒子或者基因载体相连,将有可能用于靶向于 EGFR 的肿瘤治疗和诊断 .     

Glioblastoma: Therapeutic challenges, what lies ahead

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive human cancers. Despite current advances in multimodality therapies, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the outcome for patients with high grade glioma remains fatal. The knowledge of how glioma cells develop and depend on the tumor environment might open opportunities for new therapies. There is now a growing awareness that the main limitations in understanding and successfully treating GBM might be bypassed by the identification of a distinct cell type that has defining properties of somatic stem cells, as well as cancer-initiating capacity - brain tumor stem cells, which could represent a therapeutic target. In addition, experimental studies have demonstrated that the combination of antiangiogenic therapy, based on the disruption of tumor blood vessels, with conventional chemotherapy generates encouraging results. Emerging reports have also shown that microglial cells can be used as therapeutic vectors to transport genes and/or substances to the tumor site, which opens up new perspectives for the development of GBM therapies targeting microglial cells. Finally, recent studies have shown that natural toxins can be conjugated to drugs that bind to overexpressed receptors in cancer cells, generating targeted-toxins to selectively kill cancer cells. These targeted-toxins are highly effective against radiation- and chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells, making them good candidates for clinical trials in GBM patients. In this review, we discuss recent studies that reveal new possibilities of GBM treatment taking into account cancer stem cells, angiogenesis, microglial cells and drug delivery in the development of new targeted-therapies.     

肿瘤干细胞的生物学特性及其研究进展

肿瘤干细胞(cancer stem cells,CSC)是肿瘤组织中存在的一类干细胞,具有自我更新、无限增殖能力及致瘤性。大量研究显示,血液系统及实体瘤中均存在CSC。综述了CSC生物学特性的最新研究进展,包括寻找表面标记物、确定CSC微环境、分选与鉴定CSC、探索肿瘤细z胞和CSC之间的转化、研究CSC耐药性和耐药机制。利用肿瘤的这些生物学特性选择性杀伤肿瘤干细胞的靶分子疗法,为克服肿瘤耐药的复发与转移提供新的策略。CSC的研究为人们对肿瘤生物学特性的进一步认识提供了新的思路,并为肿瘤的临床治疗提供了新的希望。     

Novel approaches to cancer therapy using oncolytic viruses

The goal of oncolytic therapy is to exploit the innate ability of viruses to infect tumor cells, replicate in tumor cells, and produce selective oncolysis while sparing normal cells. Although the concept that viruses can be oncolytic is not new, it is only in the last three decades that efforts have been directed at genetically mutating viruses to specifically target characteristics of cancer cells. Several viruses have the potential to infect, replicate and lyse tumor cells, each taking advantage of different host cancer cell biology. This review will focus on the major viruses under current investigation for oncolytic therapy, the mechanism by which they specifically eradicate tumors, and the clinical strategies currently under investigation.     

The tumor microenvironment: An irreplaceable element of tumor budding and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated cancer metastasis

Tumor budding occurs at the invasive front of cancer; the tumor cells involved have metastatic and stemness features, indicating a poor prognosis. Tumor budding is partly responsible for cancer metastasis, and its initiation is based on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. The EMT process involves the conversion of epithelial cells into migratory and invasive cells, and is a profound event in tumorigenesis. The EMT, associated with the formation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and resistance to therapy, results from a combination of gene mutation, epigenetic regulation, and microenvironmental control. Tumor budding can be taken to represent the EMT in vivo. The EMT process is under the influence of the tumor microenvironment as well as tumor cells themselves. Here, we demonstrate that the tumor microenvironment dominates EMT development and impacts cancer metastasis, as well as promotes CSC formation and mediates drug resistance. In this review, we mainly discuss components of the microenvironment, such as the extracellular matrix (ECM), inflammatory cytokines, metabolic products, and hypoxia, that are involved in and impact on the acquisition of tumor-cell motility and dissemination, the EMT, metastatic tumor-cell formation, tumor budding and CSCs, and cancer metastasis, including subsequent chemo-resistance. From our point of view, the tumor microenvironment now constitutes a promising target for cancer therapy.     

细胞休眠在肿瘤耐药和复发中的作用

目前对于肿瘤的药物治疗已经取得了一定的进展,然而,治疗后残存肿瘤细胞的复发仍然是导致肿瘤治疗失败的主要原因．肿瘤细胞休眠在肿瘤复发及耐药中发挥着重要的作用．近年来,研究发现上皮间质转化(epithelial-mesenchymal transition,EMT)的肿瘤细胞,肿瘤干细胞(cancer stem cells,CSCs)以及循环肿瘤细胞(circulating tumor cells,CTCs)都显示出细胞周期阻滞的状态．因此,对于休眠阶段肿瘤细胞的研究将可能促进肿瘤的治疗及预防肿瘤的复发．本文总结了药物治疗诱导肿瘤细胞发生休眠的具体过程,同时认为休眠是肿瘤细胞面对药物治疗所采取的主动防御措施,而非被动逃避过程．探究药物诱导性肿瘤细胞的休眠机制对于靶向休眠肿瘤细胞治疗及提高临床治疗效果都具有非常重要的意义．     

Therapeutic genes for cancer gene therapy

Cancer still represents a disease of high incidence and is therefore one major target for gene therapy approaches. Gene therapy for cancer implies that ideally selective tumor cell killing or inhibition of tumor cell growth can be achieved using nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) as the therapeutic agent. Therefore, the majority of cancer gene therapy strategies introduce foreign genes into tumor cells which aim at the immunological recognition and destruction, the direct killing of the target cells or the interference with tumor growth. To achieve this goal for gene therapy of cancer, a broad variety of therapeutic genes are currently under investigation in preclinical and in clinical studies. These genes are of very different origin and of different mechanisms of action, such as human cytokine genes, genes coding for immunstimulatory molecules/antigens, genes encoding bacterial or viral prodrug-activating enzymes (suicide genes), tumor suppressor genes, or multidrug resistance genes.