Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis最新文献

The gut microbiome (GM) plays a critical role in regulating a number of physiological processes within the human host, including metabolism, immune function, and protection from pathogens. Emerging evidence suggests that occupational exposures, particularly working night shifts or during irregular hours, significantly influence the GM composition and functionality. These disruptions are closely tied to the misalignment between the host's circadian rhythms and the GM's internal clocks, leading to dysbiosis and increased systemic inflammation. This misalignment has been linked to the development of several health conditions, including dysmetabolism, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and gastrointestinal disorders. This review provides a thorough analysis of the current research on workers who are exposed to night shifts, highlighting the profound impact of circadian misalignment on both the GM wellbeing and the overall human health. Innovative interventions, such as dietary supplementation with probiotics, prebiotics, circadian-aligned nutrition, and time-restricted eating, offer promising strategies for restoring the GM balance and synchronizing the microbiome with the host's circadian rhythms affected by occupational stressors. Precision-based interventions tailored to specific occupational exposures and circadian patterns may provide effective solutions for improving worker's health and preventing long-term chronic diseases associated with detrimental exposures. In light of these findings, integrating microbiome-targeted approaches into occupational health policies could lead to better health outcomes, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and enhance the overall well-being of at-risk workers. Occupational research should continue to explore these personalized approaches, together with novel assessment strategies, to optimize health interventions and mitigate the long-term effects of night shift work.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved survival rates for many types of cancer, giving patients survival prognoses that had been previously unattainable. Unfortunately, in many advanced cancers, including breast cancer (BC), objective response rates (ORRs) have been reported to be between 5% and 25% and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) can be severe, emphasizing the need to improve the effectiveness of ICIs while minimizing irAEs. In recent years, probiotics and various bacteria consortia have gained growing recognition for their application in immunotherapies for various cancers. Many preclinical models have demonstrated that probiotics significantly influence the gut microbiome, enhancing the production of beneficial metabolites and promoting interactions with cytotoxic T cells to amplify the antitumor effects of ICIs. For the treatment of HER2+ BC, current clinical trials have administered ICIs in combination with anti-HER2 agents (e.g., trastuzumab) to enhance treatment efficacy. Thus far, this combination has shown promising results, especially in patients with advanced PDL1-positive disease. However, as these trials are still ongoing, the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy for HER2+ BCs remains inconclusive and requires further investigation. Thus, this review discusses the use of probiotics in ICB therapy, focusing on the potential role of probiotics in HER2+ BC response to ICIs, their underlying mechanisms and challenges.

The breast cancer fatality rate poses a global health concern. Dysbiosis of the gut and breast microbiome plays a crucial role in both the onset and metastasis of breast cancer by influencing immune response and hormone metabolism. Probiotics, antibiotics, and KEY WORDS: breast cancer, immunotherapy, microbiome, exosomes, gut microbiota are used in microbiome-targeted drugs as therapy alternatives. Metabolic alterations accelerate the development of cancer. For instance, 27-hydroxycholesterol promotes tamoxifen resistance and estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Malignant breast tissues differ from healthy breast tissues by their unique microbial profiles. The microbiome influences metabolic pathways such as lipid and glucose metabolism and microbial compounds like β-glucuronidases and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) influence metabolism, drug resistance, and progression of cancer. New approaches to treating breast cancer include immunotherapies, nanoparticle drug delivery systems, and emerging therapeutics based on interactions among the microbiome, the immune system, and exosomes. These approaches may improve immune responses, decrease chemotherapy resistance, and stop the spread of cancer. Here, we discuss dysbiosis in breast cancer and therapeutic approaches.

The oral microbiota plays a pivotal role in maintaining oral health, but its dysbiosis has been increasingly implicated in the development of systemic diseases, including cancer. Emerging evidence highlights the potential contribution of oral microorganisms to carcinogenesis in the oral cavity and distant organs, such as the lungs, pancreas, and genitourinary tract. This review explores the mechanisms through which the oral microbiota influences cancer development and treatment response, mainly driven by microbial translocation, systemic inflammation, immune modulation, and the release of carcinogenic metabolites. Additionally, the review discusses how oral microbiota perturbations interact with host factors, such as diet, systemic diseases, genetics, and cancer therapies, to influence tumor initiation, progression, and response to treatment. A critical analysis of past and emerging literature shows that specific microbial taxa potentially influence tumor progression and immune responses, including Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, Aggregatibacter and Treponema. The detection of these microorganisms and the study of oral microbiome profiling in cancer care may offer new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies; however, further studies with homogeneous patient populations are needed to fully understand the contributions of oral dysbiosis in cancer development and treatment responses.

The interplay between probiotics and cancer development has emerged as a complex but important field in oncology research. While probiotics are known gut microbiome modulators and have the ability to modulate an immune response, their role in the prevention and treatment of cancer are inadequately understood. Evidence from peer-reviewed literature suggests that probiotics-mediated effects contribute to cancer prevention and treatment. Such effects include the enhancement of barrier function, production of anti-inflammatory agents, modulation of immune responses, and regulation of the tumor microenvironment. Clinical studies offer promising results in terms of therapeutic applications in certain cancers where probiotic bacteria may help reduce risk factors while enhancing treatment efficacy. Emerging evidence indicates potential benefits in the combination of probiotics with immunotherapy, including improved response rates and reduced side effects. Significant challenges remain, however, including the standardization of probiotic bacterial constituents, the route of administration, optimal delivery methods and safety concerns. Future research should focus on personalized treatment plans with emphasis on strain-specific effects and the development of next-generation probiotics specifically targeted for cancer applications, in combination with current treatment therapeutics.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is an essential enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), a critical glucose metabolism pathway linked to cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Inhibiting the PPP presents a promising approach to cancer treatment. The G6PD enzyme structure was obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The active site responsible for NADP+ binding was identified and used for structure-based pharmacophore design. This pharmacophore model was applied to the ZINC database to screen for small molecules. Molecular docking was accomplished using AutoDock Vina, and protein-ligand interactions were analyzed. Additionally, compounds were validated based on in silico ADMET properties to select the most promising candidates. A comprehensive screening and docking procedure identified several potential G6PD inhibitors. These compounds showed favorable interactions with the active site and met the criteria for optimal ADMET properties. The newly proposed G6PD inhibitors, with their potential to revolutionize cancer therapy, could serve as lead molecules for further research and development, inspiring the audience about the possibilities in cancer therapy.

Machine learning (ML) holds great promise in advancing risk prediction and stratification for neuroblastoma, a highly heterogeneous pediatric cancer. By utilizing large-scale biological and clinical data, ML models can detect complex patterns that traditional approaches often overlook, enabling more personalized treatments and better patient outcomes. Various ML techniques, such as support vector machines, random forests, and deep learning, have shown superior performance in predicting survival, relapse, and treatment responses in neuroblastoma patients compared to conventional methods. However, challenges like limited data size, model interpretability, data variability, and difficulties in clinical integration hinder broader adoption. Additionally, ethical concerns related to bias and privacy must be addressed. Future work should focus on improving data quality, enhancing model transparency, and conducting thorough clinical validation. With these advancements, ML has the potential to revolutionize neuroblastoma care by refining early diagnosis, risk assessment, and therapeutic decision-making.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women. Increased exposure to oestrogens is one of the major risk factors for breast cancer. The synthesis of estrogens is mediated by the aromatase enzyme that encoded by CYP19A1 gene. Further, highest aromatase activities were documented in tumor-associated stroma tissues of breast. Genetic polymorphisms in CYP19A1 gene are known to modulate the estradiol and to the estradiol/testosterone ratio. The rs10046 T>C polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of CYP19A1 gene has been linked to the risk of breast cancer. The studies conducted till date are not consistent in reporting the association of rs10046 polymorphism with breast cancer. In the present study, we have conducted a meta-analysis of data available for CYP19A1 rs10046 T>C and breast cancer from 23 studies. The outcome of the present meta-analysis showed that there is no association between rs10046 polymorphism and breast cancer risk in all genetic models [C vs. T: odds ratio (OR) = 0.99, confidence interval (CI) = 0.88-1.23; CC vs. TC + TT: OR = 1.02, CI = 0.88-1.18; TC + CC vs. GG: OR = 0.97, CI = 0.80-1.17]. Further, ethnicity based subgroups also failed to show the association between breast cancer and rs10046. Begg's funnel plots and Egger's tests did not reveal evidence for publication bias (Egger's P value = 0.832). In summary, the rs10046 T>C polymorphism on CYP19A1 is not a major risk factor for breast cancer.

The heat shock protein 90 kDa (HSP90) is highly conserved across diverse species, including humans, and upregulated in various cancers. As a result, it has been identified as a promising target for advancing anticancer medicine. The introduction of combinatorial chemistry in drug discovery has emphasized the need to develop new technologies in screening, designing, decoding, synthesizing, and screening combinatorial drug libraries. The current investigation was carried out to report improved inhibition efficacy of ganetespib, fluorouracil (5-FU), and its combinatorial drug treatment (ganetespib + 5-FU) against the HSP90 molecular chaperone through an in silico approach. Both drugs and their combination are ATP-competitive inhibitors; they inhibit the HSP90α N-terminal and block the ATP binding site. The structural and functional basis and their combination were confirmed through molecular docking interaction with HSP90α. The inhibitors' conformational effects and their combination against the HSP90α protein were studied using powerful MD simulations. The key interacting residues of HSP90α with ganetespib, 5-FU, and ganetespib + 5-FU were identified via energy binding calculations and molecular dynamics. This study is the first to offer atomistic insights into the interaction between ganetespib, 5-FU, and ganetespib + 5-FU with the HSP90α protein N-terminal domain. The results of our in silico study will open better avenues for developing potential cancer inhibitors in the near future.