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Nathan Goodyear

Induction of metastasis, cancer stem cell phenotype, and oncogenic metabolism in cancer... - 0 views

  • More than half of cancer patients are treated with IR at some point during their treatment
  • fractionation schedule is the delivery of 1.8–2.0 Gy per day, five days per week
  • Nuclear DNA is the primary target of IR; it causes DNA damage (genotoxic stress) by direct DNA ionization
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  • IR also indirectly induces DNA damage by stimulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production
  • IR is known to induce EMT in vitro
  • p53 is activated in response to IR-induced DNA damage
  • IR paradoxically also promotes tumour recurrence and metastasis
  • DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs)
  • cancer cells undergoing EMT acquire invasive and metastatic properties
  • changes in the tumour microenvironment (TME)
  • IR seems to induce EMT and CSC phenotypes by regulating cellular metabolism
  • EMT, stemness, and oncogenic metabolism are known to be associated with resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy
  • Hanahan and Weinberg proposed ten hallmarks of cancer that alter cell physiology to enhance malignant growth: 1) sustained proliferation, 2) evasion of growth suppression, 3) cell death resistance, 4) replicative immortality, 5) evasion of immune destruction, 6) tumour-promoting inflammation, 7) activation of invasion and metastasis, 8) induction of angiogenesis, 9) genome instability, and 10) alteration of metabolism
  • EMT is a developmental process that plays critical roles in embryogenesis, wound healing, and organ fibrosis
  • IR is known to induce stemness and metabolic alterations in cancer cells
  • transforming growth factor-β [TGF-β], epidermal growth factor [EGF]) and their associated signalling proteins (Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, nuclear-factor kappa B [NF-κB], extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK], and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase [PI3K]/Akt
  • activate EMT-inducing transcription factors, including Snail/Slug, ZEB1/δEF1, ZEB2/SIP1, Twist1/2, and E12/E47
  • Loss of E-cadherin is considered a hallmark of EMT
  • IR has been shown to induce EMT to enhance the motility and invasiveness of several cancer cells, including those of breast, lung, and liver cancer, and glioma cells
  • IR may increase metastasis in both the primary tumour site and in normal tissues under some circumstance
  • sublethal doses of IR have been shown to enhance the migratory and invasive behaviours of glioma cells
  • ROS are known to play an important role in IR-induced EMT
  • High levels of ROS trigger cell death by causing irreversible damage to cellular components such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, whereas low levels of ROS have been shown to promote tumour progression—including tumour growth, invasion, and metastasis
  • hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is involved in IR-induced EMT
  • Treatment with the N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a general ROS scavenger, prevents IR-induced EMT, adhesive affinity, and invasion of breast cancer cells
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      NAC for all patients receiving radiation therapy
  • Snail has been shown to play a crucial role in IR-induced EMT, migration, and invasion
  • IR activates the p38 MAPK pathway, which contributes to the induction of Snail expression to promote EMT and invasion
  • NF-κB signalling that promotes cell migration
  • ROS promote EMT to allow cancer cells to avoid hostile environments
  • HIF-1 is a heterodimer composed of an oxygen-sensitive α subunit and a constitutively expressed β subunit.
  • Under normoxia, HIF-1α is rapidly degraded, whereas hypoxia induces stabilisation and accumulation of HIF-1α
  • levels of HIF-1α mRNA are enhanced by activation of the PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
  • IR is known to increase stabilisation and nuclear accumulation of HIF-1α, since hypoxia is a major condition for HIF-1 activation
  • IR induces vascular damage that causes hypoxia
  • ROS is implicated in IR-induced HIF-1 activation
  • IR causes the reoxygenation of hypoxic cancer cells to increase ROS production, which leads to the stabilisation and nuclear accumulation of HIF-1
  • IR increases glucose availability under reoxygenated conditions that promote HIF-1α translation by activating the Akt/mTOR pathway
  • The stabilised HIF-1α then translocates to the nucleus, dimerizes with HIF-1β, and increases gene expression— including the expression of essential EMT regulators such as Snail—to induce EMT, migration, and invasion
  • TGF-β signalling has been shown to play a crucial role in IR-induced EMT
  • AP-1 transcription factor is involved in IR-induced TGF-β1 expression
  • Wnt/β-catenin signalling is also implicated in IR-induced EMT
  • Notch signalling is known to be involved in IR-induced EMT
  • IR also increases Notch-1 expression [99]. Notch-1 is known to induce EMT by upregulating Snail
  • PAI-1 signalling is also implicated in IR-induced Akt activation that increases Snail levels to induce EMT
  • EGFR activation is known to be associated with IR-induced EMT, cell migration, and invasion by activating two downstream pathways: PI3K/Akt and Raf/MEK/ERK
  • ROS and RNS are also implicated in IR-induced EGFR activation
  • IR has also been shown to activate Hedgehog (Hh) signalling to induce EMT
  • IR has been shown to induce Akt activation through several signalling pathways (EGFR, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 [CXCR4]/C-X-C motif chemokine 12 [CXCL12], plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 [PAI-1]) and upstream regulators (Bmi1, PTEN) that promote EMT and invasion
  • CSCs possess a capacity for self-renewal, and they can persistently proliferate to initiate tumours upon serial transplantation, thus enabling them to maintain the whole tumour
  • Conventional cancer treatments kill most cancer cells, but CSCs survive due to their resistance to therapy, eventually leading to tumour relapse and metastasis
  • identification of CSCs, three types of markers are utilised: cell surface molecules, transcription factors, and signalling pathway molecules
  • CSCs express distinct and specific surface markers; commonly used ones are CD24, CD34, CD38, CD44, CD90, CD133, and ALDH
  • Transcription factors, including Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, c-Myc, and Klf4,
  • signalling pathways, including those of TGF-β, Wnt, Hedgehog, Notch, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and JAK/STAT
  • microRNAs (miRNAs), including let-7, miR-22, miR-34a, miR-128, the miR-200 family, and miR-451
  • Non-CSCs can be reprogrammed to become CSCs by epigenetic and genetic changes
  • EMT-inducing transcription factors, such as Snail, ZEB1, and Twist1, are known to confer CSC properties
  • Signalling pathways involved in EMT, including those of TGF-β, Wnt, and Notch, have been shown to play important roles in inducing the CSC phenotype
  • TGF-β1 not only increases EMT markers (Slug, Twist1, β-catenin, N-cadherin), but also upregulates CSC markers (Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, Klf4) in breast and lung cancer cells
  • some CSC subpopulations arise independently of EMT
  • IR has been shown to induce the CSC phenotype in many cancers, including breast, lung, and prostate cancers, as well as melanoma
  • Genotoxic stress due to IR or chemotherapy promotes a CSC-like phenotype by increasing ROS production
  • IR has been shown to induce reprogramming of differentiated cancer cells into CSCs
  • In prostate cancer patients, radiotherapy increases the CD44+ cell population that exhibit CSC properties
  • IR also induces the re-expression of stem cell regulators, such as Sox2, Oct4, Nanog, and Klf4, to promote stemness in cancer cells
  • EMT-inducing transcription factors and signalling pathways, including Snail, STAT3, Notch signalling, the PI3K/Akt pathway, and the MAPK cascade, have been shown to play important roles in IR-induced CSC properties
  • STAT3 directly binds to the Snail promoter and increases Snail transcription, which induces the EMT and CSC phenotypes, in cisplatin-selected resistant cells
  • Other oncogenic metabolic pathways, including glutamine metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol, are also enhanced in many cancers
  • metabolic reprogramming
  • HIF-1α, p53, and c-Myc, are known to contribute to oncogenic metabolism
  • metabolic reprogramming
  • tumour cells exhibit high mitochondrial metabolism as well as aerobic glycolysis
  • occurring within the same tumour
  • CSCs can be highly glycolytic-dependent or oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-dependen
  • mitochondrial function is crucial for maintaining CSC functionality
  • cancer cells depend on mitochondrial metabolism and increase mitochondrial production of ROS that cause pseudo-hypoxia
  • HIF-1 then enhances glycolysis
  • CAFs have defective mitochondria that lead to the cells exhibiting the Warburg effect; the cells take up glucose, and then secrete lactate to 'feed' adjacent cancer cells
  • lactate transporter, monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)
  • nutrient microenvironment
  • Epithelial cancer cells express MCT1, while CAFs express MCT4. MCT4-positive, hypoxic CAFs secrete lactate by aerobic glycolysis, and MCT1-expressing epithelial cancer cells then uptake and use that lactate as a substrate for the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle
  • MCT4-positive cancer cells depend on glycolysis and then efflux lactate, while MCT1-positive cells uptake lactate and rely on OXPHOS
  • metabolic heterogeneity induces a lactate shuttle between hypoxic/glycolytic cells and oxidative/aerobic tumour cells
  • bulk tumour cells exhibit a glycolytic phenotype, with increased conversion of glucose to lactate (and enhanced lactate efflux through MCT4), CSC subsets depend on oxidative phosphorylation; most of the glucose entering the cells is converted to pyruvate to fuel the TCA cycle and the electron transport chain (ETC), thereby increasing mitochondrial ROS production
  • the major fraction of glucose is directed into the pentose phosphate pathway, to produce redox power through the generation of NADPH and ROS scavengers
  • HIF-1α, p53, and c-Myc, are known to contribute to oncogenic metabolism
  • regulatory molecules involved in EMT and CSCs, including Snail, Dlx-2, HIF-1, STAT3, TGF-β, Wnt, and Akt, are implicated in the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells
  • HIF-1 induces the expression of glycolytic enzymes, including the glucose transporter GLUT, hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and MCT, resulting in the glycolytic switch
  • HIF-1 represses the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), which inhibits pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), thereby inhibiting mitochondrial activity
  • STAT3 has been implicated in EMT-induced metabolic changes as well
  • TGF-β and Wnt play important roles in the metabolic alteration of cancer cells
  • Akt is also implicated in the glycolytic switch and in promoting cancer cell invasiveness
  • EMT, invasion, metastasis, and stemness
  • pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), LDH, and pyruvate carboxylase (PC), are implicated in the induction of the EMT and CSC phenotypes
  • decreased activity of PKM2 is known to promote an overall shift in metabolism to aerobic glycolysis
  • LDH catalyses the bidirectional conversion of lactate to pyruvate
  • High levels of LDHA are positively correlated with the expression of EMT and CSC markers
  • IR has been shown to induce metabolic changes in cancer cells
  • IR enhances glycolysis by upregulating GAPDH (a glycolysis enzyme), and it increases lactate production by activating LDHA, which converts pyruvate to lactate
  • IR enhances glycolysis by upregulating GAPDH (a glycolysis enzyme), and it increases lactate production by activating LDHA, which converts pyruvate to lactate
  • IR also elevates MCT1 expression that exports lactate into the extracellular environment, leading to acidification of the tumour microenvironment
  • IR increases intracellular glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, fructose, and products of pyruvate (lactate and alanine), suggesting a role for IR in the upregulation of cytosolic aerobic glycolysis
  • Lactate can activate latent TGF-
  • lactate stimulates cell migration and enhances secretion of hyaluronan from CAF that promote tumour metastasis
  • promote tumour survival, growth, invasion, and metastasis; enhance the stiffness of the ECM; contribute to angiogenesis; and induce inflammation by releasing several growth factors and cytokines (TGF-β, VEGF, hepatocyte growth factor [HGF], PDGF, and stromal cell-derived factor 1 [SDF1]), as well as MMP
  • tumours recruit the host tissue’s blood vessel network to perform four mechanisms: angiogenesis (formation of new vessels), vasculogenesis (de novo formation of blood vessels from endothelial precursor cells), co-option, and modification of existing vessels within tissues.
  • immunosuppressive cells such as tumour-associated macrophages (TAM), MDSCs, and regulatory T cells, and the immunosuppressive cytokines, TGF-β and interleukin-10 (IL-10)
  • immunosuppressive cells such as tumour-associated macrophages (TAM), MDSCs, and regulatory T cells, and the immunosuppressive cytokines, TGF-β and interleukin-10 (IL-10)
  • intrinsic immunogenicity or induce tolerance
  • cancer immunoediting’
  • three phases: 1) elimination, 2) equilibrium, and 3) escape.
  • The third phase, tumour escape, is mediated by antigen loss, immunosuppressive cells (TAM, MDSCs, and regulatory T cells), and immunosuppressive cytokines (TGF-β and IL-10).
  • IR can elicit various changes in the TME, such as CAF activity-mediated ECM remodelling and fibrosis, cycling hypoxia, and an inflammatory response
  • IR activates CAFs to promote the release of growth factors and ECM modulators, including TGF-β and MMP
  • TGF-β directly influences tumour cells and CAFs, promotes tumour immune escape, and activates HIF-1 signalling
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      And now the receipts
  • MMPs degrade ECM that facilitates angiogenesis, tumour cell invasion, and metastasis
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      Receipts and mechanisms
  • IR also promotes MMP-2/9 activation in cancer cells to promote EMT, invasion, and metastasis
  • IR-induced Snail increases MMP-2 expression to promote EMT
  • Radiotherapy has the paradoxical side-effect of increasing tumour aggressiveness
  • IR promotes ROS production in cancer cells, which may induce the activation of oncogenes and the inactivation of tumour suppressors, which further promote oncogenic metabolism
  • Metabolic alterations
  • oncogenic metabolism
  • elicit various changes in the TME
  • Although IR activates an antitumour immune response, this signalling is frequently suppressed by tumour escape mechanisms
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    Important review article.
Nathan Goodyear

Broad targeting of angiogenesis for cancer prevention and therapy - 0 views

  • vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), interleukin-8 (IL-8), placental growth factor (PlGF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), angiopoietins (Angs) and others (reviewed in [4])
  • The switch may also involve down-regulation of endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis such as endostatin, angiostatin or thrombospondin (reviewed in [5]) and has thus been regarded as the result of tipping the net balance between positive and negative regulators
  • There is a complex interrelationship between tumor hypoxia and tumor angiogenesis
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  • chronic hypoxia
  • acute hypoxia
  • Environmental stress as a result of low oxygen and proper nutrient deprivation, such as glucose deprivation, are capable of inducing VEGF mRNA stabilization resulting in increased levels of the secreted ligand and angiogenic growth
  • HIFalpha subunits accumulate in the cytoplasm where they bind HIFbeta to form a heterodimer that subsequently translocates to the nucleus to activate transcription of target genes, including genes important for various processes such as metabolism (glucose transporter (GLUT)-1, hexokinase (HK)-1), cell growth (cyclin (CCN)-D1 [23]) and also angiogenesis, such as erythropoietin, VEGF and PDGF [24] (summarized in Fig. 1)
  • When oxygen levels are low (hypoxia; red arrow) PHDs cannot hydroxylate HIFalphas thereby allowing them to escape pVHL-mediated degradation. HIFalpha subunits accumulate and bind to their heterodimeric partner, HIFbeta, translocate into the nucleus and activate a cascade of hypoxic signaling first by the transcription of various target genes including microRNAs that are important for tumor promoting pathways
  • c-Src is also capable of activating HIFs by indirectly inhibiting PHD activity via the NADPH oxidase/Rac pathway.
  • mTOR can also promote stabilization and HIF transcriptional activity
  • hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs), heterodimeric transcription factors composed from alpha and beta subunits, which can be rapidly stabilized to fluidly adapt to and overcome the effects of a hypoxic environment
  • Curcumin inhibits the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, and the kinase activity of Src and FAK, which are responsible for the induction of angiogenic genes as well as endothelial cell polarity and migration
  • Curcumin also reduces the MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression, along with the suppression of growth and invasion potential of tumor cells in culture and xenograft experiments
  • The expression of angiogenic biomarkers COX-2 and serum levels of VEGF were significantly reduced in the curcumin-treated group
  • Resveratrol inhibits capillary endothelial cell growth and new blood vessel growth in animals
  • interrupting cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis
  • [155] and impeding angiogenesis by suppressing VEGF expression through down-regulation of HIF-1alpha
  • resveratrol was reported to inhibit cell proliferation of human ovarian cancer cells and human osteosarcoma cells by attenuating HIF-1alpha
  • prevents cytokine-induced vascular leakage and tumor metastasis
  • The underlying molecular mechanisms include: blocking VEGF- and FGF-receptor-mediated MAPK activation, inhibiting Akt- and MAPK-driven HIF-1alpha basal expression and its induction by IGF-1, stimulating the proteasomal degradation of HIF-1alpha, inhibiting phosphatidyl inositol (PI)-3K/Akt and Ras/mitogen/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK)/ERK pathways, and activation of forkhead box (FOX)O transcription factors
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    natural compounds to attach cancer explained.
Nathan Goodyear

Ibuprofen alters human testicular physiology to produce a state of compensated hypogona... - 0 views

  • The levels of LH in the ibuprofen group had increased by 23% after 14 d of administration
  • This increase was even more pronounced at 44 d, at 33%
  • We found an 18% decrease (P = 0.056) in the ibuprofen group compared with the placebo group after 14 d (Fig. 1A) and a 23% decrease (P = 0.02) after 44 d (Fig. 1C). Taken together, these in vivo data suggest that ibuprofen induced a state of compensated hypogonadism during the trial, which occurred as early as 14 d and was maintained until the end of the trial at 44 d
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  • We first investigated testosterone production after 24 and 48 h of ibuprofen exposure to assess its effects on Leydig cell steroidogenesis. Inhibition of testosterone levels was significant and dose-dependent (β = −0.405, P = 0.01 at 24 h and β = −0.664, P < 0.0001 at 48 h) (Fig. 2A) and was augmented over time
  • The AMH data show that the hypogonadism affected not only Leydig cells but also Sertoli cells and also occurred as early as 14 d of administration
  • Sertoli cell activity showed that AMH levels decreased significantly with ibuprofen administration, by 9% (P = 0.02) after 14 d (Fig. 1B) and by 7% (P = 0.05) after 44 d compared with the placebo group
  • Examination of the effect of ibuprofen exposure on both the ∆4 and ∆5 steroid pathways (Fig. 2B) showed that it generally inhibited all steroids from pregnenolone down to testosterone and 17β-estradiol; the production of each steroid measured decreased at doses of 10−5–10−4 M. Under control conditions, production of androstenediol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) was below the limit of detection except in one experiment with DHEA
  • Measuring the mRNA expression of genes involved in steroidogenesis in vitro showed that ibuprofen had a profound inhibitory effect on the expression of these genes (Fig. 3 B–D), consistent with that seen above in our ex vivo organ model. Taken together, these data examining effects on the endocrine cells confirm that ibuprofen-induced changes in the transcriptional machinery were the likely reason for the inhibition of steroidogenesis.
  • Suppression of gene expression concerned the initial conversion of cholesterol to the final testosterone synthesis. Hence, expression of genes involved in cholesterol transport to the Leydig cell mitochondria was impaired
  • A previous study reported androsterone levels decreased by 63% among men receiving 400 mg of ibuprofen every 6 h for 4 wk
  • We next examined the gene expression involved in testicular steroidogenesis ex vivo and found that levels of expression of every gene that we studied except CYP19A1 decreased after exposure for 48 h compared with controls
  • the changes in gene expression indicate that the transcriptional machinery behind the endocrine action of Leydig cells was most likely impaired by ibuprofen exposure.
  • Together, these data show that ibuprofen also directly impairs Sertoli cell function ex vivo by inhibiting transcription
  • ibuprofen use in men led to (i) elevation of LH; (ii) a decreased testosterone/LH ratio and, to a lesser degree, a decreased inhibin B/FSH ratio; and (iii) a reduction in the levels of the Sertoli cell hormone AMH
  • The decrease in the free testosterone/LH ratio resulted primarily from the increased LH levels, revealing that testicular responsiveness to gonadotropins likely declined during the ibuprofen exposure. Our data from the ex vivo experiments support this notion, indicating that the observed elevation in LH resulted from ibuprofen’s direct antiandrogenic action
  • AMH levels were consistently suppressed by ibuprofen both in vivo and ex vivo, indicating that this hormone is uncoupled from gonadotropins in adult men. The ibuprofen suppression of AMH further demonstrated that the analgesic targeted not only the Leydig cells but also the Sertoli cells, a feature encountered not only in the human adult testis but also in the fetal testis
  • ibuprofen displayed broad transcription-repression abilities involving steroidogenesis, peptide hormones, and prostaglandin synthesis
  • a chemical compound, through its effects on the signaling compounds, can result in changes in the testis at gene level, resulting in perturbations at higher physiological levels in the adult human
  • The analgesics acetaminophen/paracetamol and ibuprofen have previously been shown to inhibit the postexercise response in muscles by repressing transcription
  • Previous ex vivo studies on adult testis have indeed pointed to an antiandrogenicity, only on Leydig cells, of phthalates (41), aspirin, indomethacin (42), and bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogs
  • ibuprofen’s effects were not restricted to Leydig and Sertoli cells, as data showed that the expression of genes in peritubular cells was also affected
  • short-term exposure
  • In the clinical setting, compromised Leydig cell function resulting in increased insensitivity to LH is defined as compensated hypogonadism (4), an entity associated with all-cause mortality
  • compensated hypogonadic men present with an increased likelihood of reproductive, cognitive, and physical symptoms
  • an inverse relationship was recently reported between endurance exercise training and male sexual libido
  • AMH concentrations are lower in seminal plasma from patients with azoospermia than from men with normal sperm levels
  • inhibin B is a key clinical marker of reproductive health (32). The function of AMH, also secreted by Sertoli cells, and its regulation through FSH remain unclear in men
  • the striking dual effect of ibuprofen observed here on both Leydig and Sertoli cells makes this NSAID the chemical compound, of all the chemical classes considered, with the broadest endocrine-disturbing properties identified so far in men.
  • after administration of 600 mg of ibuprofen to healthy volunteers
  • 14 d or at the last day of administration at 44 d
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    ibuprofen alters genetic expression that results in decreased Testosterone production.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone: a vascular hormone in health and disease - 0 views

  • Testosterone has beneficial effects on several cardiovascular risk factors, which include cholesterol, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation
  • In clinical studies, acute and chronic testosterone administration increases coronary artery diameter and flow, improves cardiac ischaemia and symptoms in men with chronic stable angina and reduces peripheral vascular resistance in chronic heart failure.
  • testosterone is an L-calcium channel blocker and induces potassium channel activation in vascular smooth muscle cells
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  • Animal studies have consistently demonstrated that testosterone is atheroprotective, whereas testosterone deficiency promotes the early stages of atherogenesis
  • there is no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement to levels within the normal healthy range contributes adversely to the pathogenesis of CVD (Carson & Rosano 2011) or prostate cancer (Morgentaler & Schulman 2009)
  • bidirectional effect between decreased testosterone concentrations and disease pathology exists as concomitant cardiovascular risk factors (including inflammation, obesity and insulin resistance) are known to reduce testosterone levels and that testosterone confers beneficial effects on these cardiovascular risk factors
  • Achieving a normal physiological testosterone concentration through the administration of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been shown to improve risk factors for atherosclerosis including reducing central adiposity and insulin resistance and improving lipid profiles (in particular, lowering cholesterol), clotting and inflammatory profiles and vascular function
  • It is well known that impaired erectile function and CVD are closely related in that ED can be the first clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis often preceding a cardiovascular event by 3–5 years
  • no decrease in the response (i.e. no tachyphylaxis) of testosterone and that patient benefit persists in the long term.
  • free testosterone levels within the physiological range, has been shown to result in a marked increase in both flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated brachial artery vasodilation in men with CAD
  • Clinical studies, however, have revealed either small reductions of 2–3 mm in diastolic pressure or no significant effects when testosterone is replaced within normal physiological limits in humans
  • Endothelium-independent mechanisms of testosterone are considered to occur primarily via the inhibition of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs) and/or activation of K+ channels (KCs) on smooth muscle cells (SMCs)
  • Testosterone shares the same molecular binding site as nifedipine
  • Testosterone increases the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and enhances nitric oxide (NO) production
  • Testosterone also inhibited the Ca2+ influx response to PGF2α
  • one of the major actions of testosterone is on NO and its signalling pathways
  • In addition to direct effects on NOS expression, testosterone may also affect phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5 (PDE5A)) gene expression, an enzyme controlling the degradation of cGMP, which acts as a vasodilatory second messenger
  • the significance of the action of testosterone on VSMC apoptosis and proliferation in atherosclerosis is difficult to delineate and may be dependent upon the stage of plaque development
  • Several human studies have shown that carotid IMT (CIMT) and aortic calcification negatively correlate with serum testosterone
  • t long-term testosterone treatment reduced CIMT in men with low testosterone levels and angina
  • neither intracellular nor membrane-associated ARs are required for the rapid vasodilator effect
  • acute responses appear to be AR independent, long-term AR-mediated effects on the vasculature have also been described, primarily in the context of vascular tone regulation via the modulation of gene transcription
  • Testosterone and DHT increased the expression of eNOS in HUVECs
  • oestrogens have been shown to activate eNOS and stimulate NO production in an ERα-dependent manner
  • Several studies, however, have demonstrated that the vasodilatory actions of testosterone are not reduced by aromatase inhibition
  • non-aromatisable DHT elicited similar vasodilation to testosterone treatment in arterial smooth muscle
  • increased endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression and phosphorylation were observed in testosterone- and DHT-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells
  • Androgen deprivation leads to a reduction in neuronal NOS expression associated with a decrease of intracavernosal pressure in penile arteries during erection, an effect that is promptly reversed by androgen replacement therapy
  • Observational evidence suggests that several pro-inflammatory cytokines (including interleukin 1β (IL1β), IL6, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), and highly sensitive CRP) and serum testosterone levels are inversely associated in patients with CAD, T2DM and/or hypogonadism
  • patients with the highest IL1β concentrations had lower endogenous testosterone levels
  • TRT has been reported to significantly reduce TNFα and elevate the circulating anti-inflammatory IL10 in hypogonadal men with CVD
  • testosterone treatment to normalise levels in hypogonadal men with the MetS resulted in a significant reduction in the circulating CRP, IL1β and TNFα, with a trend towards lower IL6 compared with placebo
  • parenteral testosterone undecanoate, CRP decreased significantly in hypogonadal elderly men
  • Higher levels of serum adiponectin have been shown to lower cardiovascular risk
  • Research suggests that the expression of VCAM-1, as induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα or interferon γ (IFNγ (IFNG)) in endothelial cells, can be attenuated by treatment with testosterone
  • Testosterone also inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL6, IL1β and TNFα in a range of cell types including human endothelial cells
  • decreased inflammatory response to TNFα and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in human endothelial cells when treated with DHT
  • The key to unravelling the link between testosterone and its role in atherosclerosis may lay in the understanding of testosterone signalling and the cross-talk between receptors and intracellular events that result in pro- and/or anti-inflammatory actions in athero-sensitive cells.
  • testosterone functions through the AR to modulate adhesion molecule expression
  • pre-treatment with DHT reduced the cytokine-stimulated inflammatory response
  • DHT inhibited NFκB activation
  • DHT could inhibit an LPS-induced upregulation of MCP1
  • Both NFκB and AR act at the transcriptional level and have been experimentally found to be antagonistic to each other
  • As the AR and NFκB are mutual antagonists, their interaction and influence on functions can be bidirectional, with inflammatory agents that activate NFκB interfering with normal androgen signalling as well as the AR interrupting NFκB inflammatory transcription
  • prolonged exposure of vascular cells to the inflammatory activation of NFκB associated with atherosclerosis may reduce or alter any potentially protective effects of testosterone
  • DHT and IFNγ also modulate each other's signalling through interaction at the transcriptional level, suggesting that androgens down-regulate IFN-induced genes
  • (Simoncini et al. 2000a,b). Norata et al. (2010) suggest that part of the testosterone-mediated atheroprotective effects could depend on ER activation mediated by the testosterone/DHT 3β-derivative, 3β-Adiol
  • TNFα-induced induction of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin as well as MCP1 and IL6 was significantly reduced by a pre-incubation with 3β-Adiol in HUVECs
  • 3β-Adiol also reduced LPS-induced gene expression of IL6, TNFα, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2 (PTGS2)), CD40, CX3CR1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, MMP9, resistin, pentraxin-3 and MCP1 in the monocytic cell line U937 (Norata et al. 2010)
  • This study suggests that testosterone metabolites, other than those generated through aromatisation, could exert anti-inflammatory effects that are mediated by ER activation.
  • The authors suggest that DHT differentially effects COX2 levels under physiological and pathophysiological conditions in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and via AR-dependent and -independent mechanisms influenced by the physiological state of the cell
  • There are, however, a number of systematic meta-analyses of clinical trials of TRT that have not demonstrated an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events or mortality
  • The TOM trial, which was designed to investigate the effect of TRT on frailty in elderly men, was terminated prematurely as a result of an increased incidence of cardiovascular-related events after 6 months in the treatment arm
  • trials of TRT in men with either chronic stable angina or chronic cardiac failure have also found no increase in either cardiovascular events or mortality in studies up to 12 months
  • Evidence may therefore suggest that low testosterone levels and testosterone levels above the normal range have an adverse effect on CVD, whereas testosterone levels titrated to within the mid- to upper-normal range have at least a neutral effect or, taking into account the knowledge of the beneficial effects of testosterone on a series of cardiovascular risk factors, there may possibly be a cardioprotective action
  • The effect of testosterone on human vascular function is a complex issue and may be dependent upon the underlying androgen and/or disease status.
  • the majority of studies suggest that testosterone may display both acute and chronic vasodilatory effects upon various vascular beds at both physiological and supraphysiological concentrations and via endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms
  •  
    Good deep look into the testosterone and CVD link.
Nathan Goodyear

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in inflammation control - 0 views

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    PPARs are key regulators in inflammation control. PPARs are nuclear transcription factors that decrease NF-KappaB transcription.
Nathan Goodyear

Estradiol-17β Upregulates Pyruvate Kinase M2 Expression to Coactivate Estroge... - 0 views

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    This is an important study.  Study found that Estradiol increased the transcription of pyruvate kinase M (PKM2)production in endometrial stromal cells.  This increase in PKM2 shifted metabolism to a aerobic glycolysis pattern similar to the Warburg effect described in cancer.  Additionally, increased PKM2 via Estradiol increased ER alpha transcription and functioned as a ER alpha coactivator.
Nathan Goodyear

An integrative analysis reveals coordinated reprogramming of the epigenome and the tran... - 0 views

  • contribution to the training response of the epigenome as a mediator between genes and environment
  • Differential DNA methylation was predominantly observed in enhancers, gene bodies and intergenic regions and less in CpG islands or promoters
  • highly consistent and associated modifications in methylation and expression, concordant with observed health-enhancing phenotypic adaptations, are induced by a physiological stimulus
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  • The health benefits following exercise training are elicited by gene expression changes in skeletal muscle, which are fundamental to the remodeling process
  • there is increasing evidence that more short-term environmental factors can influence DNA methylation
  • dietary factors have the potency to alter the degree of DNA methylation in different tissues, 9,10 including skeletal muscle
  • In one study, a single bout of endurance-type exercise was shown to affect methylation at a few promoter CpG sites
  • In the context of diabetes, exercise training has been shown to affect genome-wide methylation pattern in skeletal muscle,13 as well as in adipose tissue.
  • physiological stressors can indeed affect DNA methylation
  • training intervention reshapes the epigenome and induces significant changes in DNA methylation
  • the findings from this tightly controlled human study strongly suggest that the regulation and maintenance of exercise training adaptation is to a large degree associated to epigenetic changes, especially in regulatory enhancer regions
  • Endurance training [after training (T2) vs. before training (T1)] induced significant (false discovery rate, FDR< 0.05) methylation changes at 4919 sites across the genome in the trained leg
  • identified 4076 differentially expressed genes
  • a complementary approach revealed that over 600 CpG sites correlated to the increase in citrate synthase activity, an objective measure of training response (Figure S4 and Dataset S14). This might imply that some of these sites could influence the degree of training response.
  • As expected by a physiological environmental trigger on adult tissue, the observed effect size on DNA methylation was small in comparison to disease states such as cancer
  • a preferential localization outside of CpG Islands/Shelves/Shores
  • endurance training especially influences enhancers
  • negative correlation was more prominent for probes in promoter/5′UTR/1st exon regions, while gene bodies had a stronger peak of positive correlation
  • The significant changes in DNA methylation, that primarily occurred in enhancer regions, were to a large extent associated with relevant changes in gene expression
  • The main findings of this study were that 3 months of endurance training in healthy human volunteers induced significant methylation changes at almost 5000 sites across the genome and significant differential expression of approximately 4000 genes
  • DMPs that increased in methylation were mainly associated to structural remodeling of the muscle and glucose metabolism, while the DMPs with decreased methylation were associated to inflammatory/immunological processes and transcriptional regulation
  • This suggests that the changes in methylation seen with training were not a random effect across the genome but rather a controlled process that likely contributes to skeletal muscle adaptation to endurance training
  • Correlation of the changes in DNA methylation to the changes in gene expression showed that the majority of significant methylation/expression pairs were found in the groups representing either increases in expression with a concomitant decrease in methylation or vice versa
  • The fraction of genes showing both significant decrease in methylation and upregulation was 7.5% of the DEGs or 2.3% of all genes detected in muscle tissue with at least one measured DNA methylation position. Correspondingly, 7.0% of the DEGs or 2.1% of all genes showed both significant increase in methylation and downregulation
  • we show that DNA methylation changes are associated to gene expression changes in roughly 20% of unique genes that significantly changed with training
  • Examples of structural genes include COL4A1, COL4A2 and LAMA4. These genes have also been identified as important for differences in responsiveness to endurance training
  • methylation status could be part of the mechanism behind variable training response
  • Among the metabolic genes, MDH1 catalyzes the reversible oxidation of malate to oxaloacetate, utilizing the NAD/NADH cofactor system in the citric acid cycle and NDUFA8 plays an important role in transferring electrons from NADH to the respiratory chain
  • PPP1R12A,
  • In the present study, methylation predominantly changed in enhancer regions with enrichment for binding motifs for different transcription factors suggesting that enhancer methylation may be highly relevant also in exercise biology
  • Of special interest in the biology of endurance training may be that MRFs, through binding to the PGC-1α core promoter, can regulate this well-studied co-factor for mitochondrial biogenesis
  • That endurance training led to an increased methylation in enhancer regions containing motifs for the MRFs and MEFs is somewhat counterintuitive since it should lead to the repression of the action of the above discussed transcription factors
  • decrease with training in this study, including CDCH15, MYH3, TNNT2, RYR1 and SH3GLB1
  • expression of MEF2A itself decreased with training
  • this study demonstrates that the transcriptional alterations in skeletal muscle in response to a long-term endurance exercise intervention are coupled to DNA methylation changes
  • We suggest that the training-induced coordinated epigenetic reprogramming mainly targets enhancer regions, thus contributing to differences in individual response to lifestyle interventions
  • a physiological health-enhancing stimulus can induce highly consistent modifications in DNA methylation that are associated to gene expression changes concordant with observed phenotypic adaptations
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    Exercise alters gene expression via methylation--the power of epigenetics.  Interestingly, the majority of the methylation was outside the CPG island regions.  This 3 month study found methylation of 5,000 sites across the genome resulting in altered expression of apps 4,000 genes.  The altered muscle changes of the endurance training was linked to DNA methylation changes.
Nathan Goodyear

PPARs, Obesity, and Inflammation - 0 views

  • increase of 61% within 10 years
  • Many of the inflammatory markers found in plasma of obese individuals appear to originate from adipose tissue
  • obesity is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is initiated by morphological changes in the adipose tissue.
  • ...19 more annotations...
  • secretion of MCP-1, resistin, and other proinflammatory cytokines is increased by obesity, the adipose secretion of the anti-inflammatory protein adiponectin is decreased
  • the peroxisome proliferators- activated receptor (PPAR) family are involved in the regulation of inflammation and energy homestasis
  • natural agonists, including unsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids
  • PPARα also regulates inflammatory processes, mainly by inhibiting inflammatory gene expression
  • upregulation of COX-2 is seen in alcoholic steatohepatitis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and has been directly linked to the progression of steatosis to steatohepatitis, the inhibitory effect of PPARα on COX-2 may reduce steatohepatitis
  • PPARα agonists have a clear anorexic effect resulting in decreased food intake, evidence is accumulating that PPARα may also directly influence adipose tissue function, including its inflammatory status.
  • PPARα may govern adipose tissue inflammation in three different ways: (1) by decreasing adipocyte hypertrophy, which is known to be connected with a higher inflammatory status of the tissue [3, 11, 59], (2) by direct regulation of inflammatory gene expression via locally expressed PPARα, or (3) by systemic events likely originating from liver
  • PPARγ is considered the master regulator of adipogenesis
  • Unsaturated fatty acids and several eicosanoids serve as endogenous agonists of PPARγ
  • PPARγ2, which is adipose-tissue specific
  • two different molecular mechanisms have been proposed by which anti-inflammatory actions of PPARγ are effectuated: (1) via interference with proinflammatory transcription factors including STAT, NF-κB, and AP-1
  • and (2) by preventing removal of corepressor complexes from gene promoter regions resulting in suppression of inflammatory gene transcription
  • diet-induced obesity is associated with increased inflammatory gene expression in adipose tissue via adipocyte hypertrophy and macrophage infiltration
  • PPARγ is able to reverse macrophage infiltration, and subsequently reduces inflammatory gene expression
  • Inflammatory adipokines mainly originate from macrophages which are part of the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue [18, 19], and accordingly, the downregulation of inflammatory adipokines in WAT by PPARγ probably occurs via effects on macrophages
  • By interfering with NF-κB signaling pathways, PPARγ is known to decrease inflammation in activated macrophages
  • Recent data suggest that activation of PPARγ in fatty liver may protect against inflammation
  • PPARs may influence the inflammatory response either by direct transcriptional downregulation of proinflammatory genes
  • anti-inflammatory properties of PPARs in human obesity
  •  
    PPARs play pivotal in obesity.  PPARs appear to reduce the inflammatory cascade associated with obesity.  Downregulation of PPARs are associated with increased inflammation.  Natural PPARs include unsaturated fats and eicosanoids.
Nathan Goodyear

Equine Estrogens Impair Nitric Oxide Production and Endothelial Nitric Oxide ... - 0 views

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    This is the perfect study to compare synthetic, unnatural hormones with bioidentical hormones.  Premarin was compared with bioidentical estradiol.  Premarin reduced the endothelial NO synthase transcription and activity by 30-50% compared to Estradiol.   Thus, premarin results in a lower NO production and thus greater endothelial dysfunction compared to Estradiol.
Nathan Goodyear

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Inflammatory Processes - 0 views

  • marine n-3 PUFAs have also been shown to alter the production of inflammatory proteins including chemokines, cytokines, growth factors and matrix proteases
  • Two transcription factors that are likely to play a role in inflammation are nuclear factor κ B (NFκB) and PPAR-γ
  • NFκB is the principal transcription factor involved in upregulation of inflammatory cytokine, adhesion molecule and cyclooxygenase-2 genes
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • PPAR-γ, is believed to act in an anti-inflammatory manner
  • PPAR-γ directly regulates inflammatory gene expression, it also interferes with the activation of NFκB creating an intriguing interaction between these two transcription factors
  • Both NFκB and PPAR-γ may be regulated by n-3 PUFAs.
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    great review of the anti-inflammatory effects of omega 3 DHA and EPA.  EPA inhibits COX and 5-LOX and their downstream prostaglandin and leukotrienes.  EPA/DHA inhibited endotoxin-stimulated IL-6, IL-8,TNF-alpha, and NFkappaB.
Nathan Goodyear

The Adipose Transcriptional Response to Insulin Is Determined by Obesity, Not Insulin S... - 0 views

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    Study disproves "healthy obesity".  The same underlying insulin resistance and altered transcription is present in "healthy obese" and obese individuals.  
Nathan Goodyear

A Novel Estradiol/Estrogen Receptor α-dependent Transcriptional Mechanism Con... - 0 views

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    Estradiol increases prolactin receptor transcription through their ER-alpha receptor.
Nathan Goodyear

Communication between genomic and non-genomic signaling events coordinate steroid hormo... - 0 views

  • steroid hormones typically interact with their cognate receptor in the cytoplasm for AR, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and PR, but may also bind receptor in the nucleus as appears to often be the case for ERα and ERβ
  • This ligand binding results in a conformational change in the cytoplasmic NRs that leads to the dissociation of HSPs, translocation of the ligand-bound receptor to the nucleus
  • In the nucleus, the ligand-bound receptor dimerizes and then binds to DNA at specific HREs to regulate gene transcription
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • some steroid hormone-induced nuclear events can occur in minutes
  • the genomic effects of steroid hormones take longer, with changes in gene expression occurring on the timescale of hours
  • Classical steroid hormone signaling occurs when hormone binds nuclear receptors (NR) in the cytoplasm, setting off a chain of genomic events that results in, among other changes, dimerization and translocation to the nucleus where the ligand-bound receptor forms a complex with coregulators to modulate gene transcription through direct interactions with a hormone response element (HRE)
  • NRs have been found at the plasma membrane of cells, where they can propagate signal transduction often through kinase pathways
  • Membrane-localized ER, PR and AR have been reported to modulate the activity of MAPK/ERK, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt), nitric oxide (NO), PKC, calcium flux and increase inositol triphosphate (IP3) levels to promote cell processes including autophagy, proliferation, apoptosis, survival, differentiation, and vasodilation
  • ERα36, a 36kDa truncated form of ERα that lacks the transcriptional activation domains of the full-length protein. Membrane-localized ERα36 can activate pathways including protein kinase C (PKC) and/or mitogen activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) to promote the progression of various cancers
  • G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), also referred to as G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), is a membrane-localized receptor that has been observed to respond to estrogen to activate rapid signaling
  • hormone-responsive G protein coupled receptor is Zip9, which androgens can activate
  • GPRC6A is another G protein-coupled membrane receptor that is responsive to androgen
  • androgen-mediated non-genomic signaling through this GPCR can modulate male fertility, hormone secretion and prostate cancer progression
  • non-NR proteins located at the cell surface can bind to steroid hormones and respond by eliciting rapid signaling events
  • Estrogens have been shown to induce rapid (i.e. seconds) calcium flux via membrane-localized ER (mER)
  • ER-calcium dynamics lead to activation of kinase pathways such as MAPK/ERK which can result in cellular effects like migration and proliferation
  • 17β-estradiol (E2) has been reported to promote angiogenesis through the activation of GPER
  • Membrane NRs may also mediate rapid signaling through crosstalk with growth factor receptors (GFR)
  • A similar crosstalk occurs between the receptor tyrosine kinase insulin-related growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-IR) and ERα. Not only does IGF-IR activate ERα, but inhibition of IGF-IR downregulates estrogen-mediated ERα activity, suggesting that IGF-IR is essential for maximal ERα signaling
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      This is a bombshell that shatters the current right brain approach to ER. It completely shatters the concept of eat sugar, whatever you want, with cancer treatment in ER+ or hormonally responsive cancer!
  • Further, ER activates IGF-IR pathways including MAPK
  • GPER is involved in the transactivation of the EGFR independent of classical ER
  • tight interconnection between genomic and non-genomic effects of NRs.
  • non-genomic pathways can also lead to genomic effects
  • androgen-bound AR associates with the kinase Src at the plasma membrane, activating Src which then leads to a signaling cascade through MAPK/ERK
  • However, Src can also increase the expression of AR target genes by the ligand-independent transactivation of AR
  • extranuclear steroid hormone actions can potentially reprogram nuclear NR events
  • estrogen modulated the expression of several genes including endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) via rapid signaling pathways
  • epigenetic changes can then mediate genomic events in uterine tissue and breast cancer cells
Nathan Goodyear

Hyperinsulinemia enhances transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-kappaB induced by ... - 0 views

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    insulin potentiates NF-kappaB-dependent transcriptional activity induced by hyperglycemia
Nathan Goodyear

Melatonin up-regulates the expression of the GATA-4 transcription factor and ... - 0 views

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    Not a cancer article, but melatonin increased GATA3 transcription. Has cancer implications, particularly Breast.
Nathan Goodyear

Mechanisms of Progesterone Receptor Inhibition of Inflammatory Responses in Cellular Mo... - 0 views

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    This article describes the underlying transcription responses to the anti-inflammatory effects provided through progesterone receptors (PR) in breast cancer.
Nathan Goodyear

ScienceDirect.com - Fertility and Sterility - Intact progesterone receptors are essenti... - 0 views

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    mice model, but progesterone deficiency results in decreased PR expression to provide counter anti-inflammatory effect in endometriosis model.  Thus pro-inflammatory transcription via E2 through ER signaling.  It would be interesting to see if that was ER-alpha or ER-beta.
Nathan Goodyear

Exposure to the environmental estrogen bisphenol A ... [Life Sci. 2003] - PubMed - NCBI - 0 views

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    Bisphenol A causes shift in ER-beta to ER-alpha through increase ER alpha transcription in the testis.  This only looked at ER expression in the testis.
Nathan Goodyear

Estradiol and Bisphenol A Stimulate Androgen Receptor and Estrogen Receptor Gene Expres... - 0 views

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    Great read on the effects of bisphenol A as an xenoestrogen.  Bisphenol A is a weak estrogen, but it does increase androgen receptor and estrogen receptor alpha transcription.  This is from fetal exposure.
Nathan Goodyear

Thyroid Hormone Action Is Disrupted by Bisphenol A as an Antagonist - 0 views

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    Bisphenol A (BPA) shown to interfere with the T3 and thyroid hormone receptor interaction.  This study even showed that BPA inhibited thyroid receptor transcription.
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