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Current Research on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics 2.0
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Current Research on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2024 | Viewed by 3146

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Rafael Coveñas Rodríguez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Neuroanatomy of the Peptidergic Systems, Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla and León (INCYL), University of Salamanca, c/ Pintor Fernando Gallego 1, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: cancer and anticancer peptides; substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor system; neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer caused 10 million deaths in 2020 and remains a major health problem worldwide. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are the current cancer treatments, but unfortunately, the results are in many cases unsatisfactory. The development of promising cancer research fields (new cytostatics, stem cells, human genome) has not been translated into better perspectives for many cancer patients. To improve the diagnosis and treatment of tumors, novel specific anticancer strategies showing enhanced antitumor effects and decreased toxicity must be explored.

Cancer cells evade the immune system and show resistance to anticancer therapies, leading to cancer cell proliferation, survival, invasion, and metastasis. These mechanisms, as well as angiogenesis, are regulated by different ligands, receptors, and intracellular cascades that regulate the genetic/protein machinery of cancer cells; thus, anticancer drugs must specifically block these cellular events. This has opened up new research lines to explore new therapeutic strategies focused on targetable molecules. Accordingly, the main aim of this Special Issue is to increase knowledge about potential targetable molecules involved in previous mechanisms such as peptides, signal transduction molecules, transcription factors, kinases, DNA damage repair enzymes, and epigenetic regulatory proteins. Thus, new antiproliferative, antimetastatic, and antiangiogenic strategies are welcome, as well as apoptotic inducers, signal transduction inhibitors, cytotoxic peptide-conjugate-based cancer therapy, gene expression modulators, hormone therapies, and peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy. Studies focused on the function–structure relationships between ligands and receptors for the design and synthesis of new and more effective anticancer compounds are also welcome.

I hope that this Special Issue opens the door to developing promising molecular targets, to blocking tumor development, and to developing new compounds capable of specifically destroying tumor cells. New anticancer strategies targeting tumor-specific molecular derangements must serve to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tumors and increase the cure rate and quality of life of cancer patients.

Prof. Dr. Rafael Coveñas Rodríguez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antiangiogenic
  • anticancer therapy
  • antimetastatic
  • apoptosis
  • antiproliferative
  • cancer
  • peptides
  • signaling molecules
  • transcription factors
  • tumor

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 11746 KiB  
Article
Targeting Colorectal Cancer: Unravelling the Transcriptomic Impact of Cisplatin and High-THC Cannabis Extract
by Viktoriia Cherkasova, Yaroslav Ilnytskyy, Olga Kovalchuk and Igor Kovalchuk
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4439; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084439 - 18 Apr 2024
Viewed by 332
Abstract
Cisplatin and other platinum-derived chemotherapy drugs have been used for the treatment of cancer for a long time and are often combined with other medications. Unfortunately, tumours often develop resistance to cisplatin, forcing scientists to look for alternatives or synergistic combinations with other [...] Read more.
Cisplatin and other platinum-derived chemotherapy drugs have been used for the treatment of cancer for a long time and are often combined with other medications. Unfortunately, tumours often develop resistance to cisplatin, forcing scientists to look for alternatives or synergistic combinations with other drugs. In this work, we attempted to find a potential synergistic effect between cisplatin and cannabinoid delta-9-THC, as well as the high-THC Cannabis sativa extract, for the treatment of HT-29, HCT-116, and LS-174T colorectal cancer cell lines. However, we found that combinations of the high-THC cannabis extract with cisplatin worked antagonistically on the tested colorectal cancer cell lines. To elucidate the mechanisms of drug interactions and the distinct impacts of individual treatments, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of affected pathways within the colorectal cancer cell line HT-29. Our primary objective was to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with each treatment modality and their potential interactions. Our findings revealed an antagonistic interaction between cisplatin and high-THC cannabis extract, which could be linked to alterations in gene transcription associated with cell death (BCL2, BAD, caspase 10), DNA repair pathways (Rad52), and cancer pathways related to drug resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics 2.0)
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24 pages, 3022 KiB  
Article
The Effect of 4-(Dimethylamino)phenyl-5-oxopyrrolidines on Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cell Colony Formation, Migration, and Growth of Tumor Spheroids
by Karolina Kairytė, Rita Vaickelionienė, Birutė Grybaitė, Kazimieras Anusevičius, Vytautas Mickevičius and Vilma Petrikaitė
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1834; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031834 - 02 Feb 2024
Viewed by 641
Abstract
A series of hydrazones, azoles, and azines bearing a 4-dimethylaminophenyl-5-oxopyrrolidine scaffold was synthesized. Their cytotoxic effect against human pancreatic carcinoma Panc-1 and triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell lines was established by MTT assay. Pyrrolidinone derivatives 3c and 3d, with incorporated 5-chloro and [...] Read more.
A series of hydrazones, azoles, and azines bearing a 4-dimethylaminophenyl-5-oxopyrrolidine scaffold was synthesized. Their cytotoxic effect against human pancreatic carcinoma Panc-1 and triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell lines was established by MTT assay. Pyrrolidinone derivatives 3c and 3d, with incorporated 5-chloro and 5-methylbenzimidazole fragments; hydrazone 5k bearing a 5-nitrothien-2-yl substitution; and hydrazone 5l with a naphth-1-yl fragment in the structure significantly decreased the viability of both cancer cell lines. Compounds 3c and 5k showed the highest selectivity, especially against the MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line. The EC50 values of the most active compound 5k against the MDA-MB231 cell line was 7.3 ± 0.4 μM, which were slightly higher against the Panc-1 cell line (10.2 ± 2.6 μM). Four selected pyrrolidone derivatives showed relatively high activity in a clonogenic assay. Compound 5k was the most active in both cell cultures, and it completely disturbed MDA-MB-231 cell colony growth at 1 and 2 μM and showed a strong effect on Panc-1 cell colony formation, especially at 2 μM. The compounds did not show an inhibitory effect on cell line migration by the ‘wound-healing’ assay. Compound 3d most efficiently inhibited the growth of Panc-1 spheroids and reduced cell viability in MDA-MB-231 spheroids. Considering these different activities in biological assays, the selected pyrrolidinone derivatives could be further tested to better understand the structure–activity relationship and their mechanism of action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics 2.0)
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19 pages, 5084 KiB  
Article
Anti-Algics in the Therapeutic Response of Breast and Urological Cancers
by Ana Catarina Matos, João Lorigo, Inês Alexandra Marques, Ana Margarida Abrantes, Matilde Jóia-Gomes, Pedro Sa-Couto, Ana Cristina Gonçalves, Ana Valentim, Edgar Tavares-Silva, Arnaldo Figueiredo, Ana Salomé Pires and Maria Filomena Botelho
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010468 - 29 Dec 2023
Viewed by 892
Abstract
The effect of anti-algics on tumor progression and the overall survival of patients is controversial and remains unclear. Herein, we disclose the in vitro effects of the local anesthetics lidocaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine on breast (MCF7), prostate (PC3, LNCaP), and bladder (TCCSUP, HT1376) [...] Read more.
The effect of anti-algics on tumor progression and the overall survival of patients is controversial and remains unclear. Herein, we disclose the in vitro effects of the local anesthetics lidocaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine on breast (MCF7), prostate (PC3, LNCaP), and bladder (TCCSUP, HT1376) cancer cell lines, both as monotherapy and in combination with standard-of-care therapeutics. Assays for cell proliferation, viability, death profile, and migration were performed. Additionally, we explored the clinical outcomes of opioid use through a cross-sectional study involving 200 metastatic prostate cancer patients. The main clinical data collected included the type of opioid therapy administered, dosage, treatment duration, disease progression, and overall survival. Results obtained demonstrate that treatment with local anesthetics has a promising selective anti-tumor effect on these types of cancer, with higher effects when associated with docetaxel. This points out the use of local anesthetics as an added value in the treatment of prostate carcinoma patients. Alternatively, chronic opioid use was correlated with reduced overall survival (p < 0.05) and progression-free survival (p < 0.05) at each treatment line in the observational study. While these results provide valuable insights, larger prospective studies are imperative to comprehensively evaluate the clinical impact of opioid analgesics in prostate cancer patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics 2.0)
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Review

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14 pages, 1131 KiB  
Review
Biomarker Identification through Proteomics in Colorectal Cancer
by Desirée Martín-García, Marilina García-Aranda and Maximino Redondo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 2283; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25042283 - 14 Feb 2024
Viewed by 994
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a devastating disease that ranks third in diagnosis and as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The early detection of CRC has been shown to be the most effective strategy to improve treatment outcomes and patient survival. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a devastating disease that ranks third in diagnosis and as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The early detection of CRC has been shown to be the most effective strategy to improve treatment outcomes and patient survival. Therefore, current lines of research focus on the development of reliable diagnostic tools. Targeted therapies, in combination with standard chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors, have emerged as promising treatment protocols in CRC. However, their effectiveness is linked to the molecular characteristics of each patient. The importance of discovering biomarkers that help predict response to therapies and assess prognosis is evident as they allow for a fundamental step towards personalized care and successful treatments. Among the ongoing efforts to identify them, mass spectrometry-based translational proteomics presents itself as a unique opportunity as it enables the discovery and application of protein biomarkers that may revolutionize the early detection and treatment of CRC. Our objective is to show the most recent studies focused on the identification of CRC-related protein markers, as well as to provide an updated view of advances in the field of proteomics and cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Cancer Biology and Therapeutics 2.0)
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