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Disease Remediation Using Phytochemicals and Nano-Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 11582

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cutting-edge biomedicines have a particular emphasis on the development of novel phytochemicals and nanomaterials for disease diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring treatment response of diseases. Among various materials, phytochemicals and nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Phytochemicals comprise a large portion of current-day pharmaceutical agents. These structurally unique agents function by novel mechanisms of action against serious metabolic diseases. The growing interest in developing multitargeted therapies may provide another golden opportunity to develop phytochemicals as new therapeutic agents. In addition, the developed nanomaterials can be easily used for the detection and visualization of important biomarkers inside the body and thus benefit the diagnosis of various diseases. The nanomaterials designed at the nanoscale level have also contributed significantly to disease treatment, such as cancer therapy, by delivering drugs, genes, small molecules, and proteins to specific diseased lesions.

In this context, this Special Issue aims to provide a forum for communication among scientists in the fields of phytochemical and nanomaterial sciences, and nanophytotheranostics. The research topic is designed to bring up recent findings of newly identified antidots as natural products and nanomaterials on this platform to combat various diseases. We would like to invite review and original articles that focus on understanding in vitro and in vivo efficacy and pharmacological and toxicological properties of natural products and nanomaterials especially as antidisease agents. Articles pertaining to any disease and therapeutic models are also welcome to this Special Issue.

Dr. Vivek K. Bajpai
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Anticancer compounds
  • Molecular targets
  • Therapeutic models
  • In vivo and in vitro models
  • Nanomaterials
  • Nanoformulations

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3618 KiB  
Article
Anti-adipogenic and Pro-lipolytic Effects on 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes by CX-4945, an Inhibitor of Casein Kinase 2
by Anil Kumar Yadav and Byeong-Churl Jang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(13), 7274; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23137274 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3928
Abstract
Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine kinase and is upregulated in human obesity. CX-4945 (Silmitasertib) is a CK2 inhibitor with anti-cancerous and anti-adipogenic activities. However, the anti-adipogenic and pro-lipolytic effects and the mode of action of CX-4945 in (pre)adipocytes remain [...] Read more.
Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine kinase and is upregulated in human obesity. CX-4945 (Silmitasertib) is a CK2 inhibitor with anti-cancerous and anti-adipogenic activities. However, the anti-adipogenic and pro-lipolytic effects and the mode of action of CX-4945 in (pre)adipocytes remain elusive. Here, we explored the effects of CX-4945 on adipogenesis and lipolysis in differentiating and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, a murine preadipocyte cell line. CX-4945 at 15 μM strongly reduced lipid droplet (LD) accumulation and triglyceride (TG) content in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells, indicating the drug’s anti-adipogenic effect. Mechanistically, CX-4945 reduced the expression levels of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and perilipin A in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Strikingly, CX-4945 further increased the phosphorylation levels of cAMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and liver kinase B-1 (LKB-1) while decreasing the intracellular ATP content in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. In differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, CX-4945 had abilities to stimulate glycerol release and elevate the phosphorylation levels of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), pointing to the drug’s pro-lipolytic effect. In addition, CX-4945 induced the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK-1/2), and PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK-1/2, attenuated the CX4945-induced glycerol release and HSL phosphorylation in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, indicating the drug’s ERK-1/2-dependent lipolysis. In summary, this investigation shows that CX-4945 has strong anti-adipogenic and pro-lipolytic effects on differentiating and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, mediated by control of the expression and phosphorylation levels of CK2, C/EBP-α, PPAR-γ, FAS, ACC, perilipin A, AMPK, LKB-1, ERK-1/2, and HSL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Remediation Using Phytochemicals and Nano-Materials)
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18 pages, 1793 KiB  
Article
Anti-Growth, Anti-Angiogenic, and Pro-Apoptotic Effects by CX-4945, an Inhibitor of Casein Kinase 2, on HuCCT-1 Human Cholangiocarcinoma Cells via Control of Caspase-9/3, DR-4, STAT-3/STAT-5, Mcl-1, eIF-2α, and HIF-1α
by Saini Wang, Anil Kumar Yadav, Jin-Yi Han, Keun Soo Ahn and Byeong-Churl Jang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 6353; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23116353 - 06 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3996
Abstract
Overexpression of casein kinase 2 (CK2) has an oncogenic and pro-survival role in many cancers. CX-4945 (Silmitasertib) is a CK2 inhibitor with anti-cancerous and anti-angiogenic effects. Up to date, the anti-cancer effect and mechanism of CX-4945 on human cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remain unclear. This [...] Read more.
Overexpression of casein kinase 2 (CK2) has an oncogenic and pro-survival role in many cancers. CX-4945 (Silmitasertib) is a CK2 inhibitor with anti-cancerous and anti-angiogenic effects. Up to date, the anti-cancer effect and mechanism of CX-4945 on human cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remain unclear. This study investigated whether CX-4945 inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of HuCCT-1 cells, a human CCA cell line. Of note, treatment with CX-4945 at 20 μM markedly reduced survival and induced apoptosis of HuCCT-1 cells, as evidenced by nuclear DNA fragmentation, PARP cleavage, activation of caspase-9/3, and up-regulation of DR-4. Although CX-4945 did not affect the phosphorylation and expression of CK2, it vastly inhibited the phosphorylation of CK2 substrates, supporting the drug’s efficacy in inhibiting CK2 and its downstream pathway. Importantly, knockdown of CK2 that partially suppressed the phosphorylation of CK2 substrates resulted in a significant reduction of HuCCT-1 cell survival. In addition, CX-4945 reduced the phosphorylation and expression of STAT-3 and STAT-5 in HuCCT-1 cells, and pharmacological inhibition or respective knockdown of these proteins resulted in significant growth suppression of HuCCT-1 cells. CX-4945 also had abilities to decrease Mcl-1 expression while increasing eIF-2α phosphorylation in HuCCT-1 cells. Furthermore, there was a time-differential negative regulation of HIF-1α expression by CX-4945 in HuCCT-1 cells, and knockdown of HIF-1α caused a significant reduction of the cell survival. In summary, these results demonstrated that CX-4945 has anti-growth, anti-angiogenic, and pro-apoptotic effects on HuCCT-1 cells, which are mediated through control of CK2, caspase-9/3, DR-4, STAT-3/5, Mcl-1, eIF-2α, and HIF-1α. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Remediation Using Phytochemicals and Nano-Materials)
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13 pages, 4897 KiB  
Article
Inhibition of Lipid Accumulation and Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression in Differentiating 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes by Pazopanib, a Multikinase Inhibitor
by Anil Kumar Yadav and Byeong-Churl Jang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(9), 4884; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22094884 - 05 May 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2822
Abstract
Pazopanib is a multikinase inhibitor with anti-tumor activity. As of now, the anti-obesity effect and mode of action of pazopanib are unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of pazopanib on lipid accumulation, lipolysis, and expression of inflammatory cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in differentiating [...] Read more.
Pazopanib is a multikinase inhibitor with anti-tumor activity. As of now, the anti-obesity effect and mode of action of pazopanib are unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of pazopanib on lipid accumulation, lipolysis, and expression of inflammatory cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in differentiating and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, a murine preadipocyte. Of note, pazopanib at 10 µM markedly decreased lipid accumulation and triglyceride (TG) content during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation with no cytotoxicity. Furthermore, pazopanib inhibited not only expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), and perilipin A but also phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-3 during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. In addition, pazopanib treatment increased phosphorylation of cAMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its downstream effector ACC during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. However, in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, pazopanib treatment did not stimulate glycerol release and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) phosphorylation, hallmarks of lipolysis. Moreover, pazopanib could inhibit tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced expression of COX-2 in both 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and differentiated cells. In summary, this is the first report that pazopanib has strong anti-adipogenic and anti-inflammatory effects in 3T3-L1 cells, which are mediated through regulation of the expression and phosphorylation of C/EBP-α, PPAR-γ, STAT-3, ACC, perilipin A, AMPK, and COX-2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Remediation Using Phytochemicals and Nano-Materials)
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