Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, obtained from Trigonella foenum-graecum, Dioscorea, and Rhizoma polgonati, has shown high potential and interest in the treatment of various cancers such as oral squamous cell carcinoma, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, glioma, and leukemia. This article aims to provide an overview of the in vivo, in vitro, and clinical studies reporting the diosgenin's anticancer effects. Preclinical studies have shown promising effects of diosgenin on inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and growth, promoting apoptosis, inducing differentiation and autophagy, inhibiting tumor cell metastasis and invasion, blocking cell cycle, regulating immunity and improving gut microbiome. Clinical investigations have revealed clinical dosage and safety property of diosgenin. Furthermore, in order to improve the biological activity and bioavailability of diosgenin, this review focuses on the development of diosgenin nano drug carriers, combined drugs and the diosgenin derivatives. However, further designed trials are needed to unravel the diosgenin's deficiencies in clinical application.
Male ; Humans ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy* ; Diosgenin/metabolism* ; Mouth Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Apoptosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy*

Hedgehog was first described in Drosophila melanogaster by the Nobel laureates Eric Wieschaus and Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard. The hedgehog (Hh) pathway is a major regulator of cell differentiation, proliferation, tissue polarity, stem cell maintenance, and carcinogenesis. The first link of Hh signaling to cancer was established through studies of a rare familial disease, Gorlin syndrome, in 1996. Follow-up studies revealed activation of this pathway in basal cell carcinoma, medulloblastoma and, leukemia as well as in gastrointestinal, lung, ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer. Targeted inhibition of Hh signaling is now believed to be effective in the treatment and prevention of human cancer. The discovery and synthesis of specific inhibitors for this pathway are even more exciting. In this review, we summarize major advances in the understanding of Hh signaling pathway activation in human cancer, mouse models for studying Hh-mediated carcinogenesis, the roles of Hh signaling in tumor development and metastasis, antagonists for Hh signaling and their clinical implications.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; Cerebellar Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Hedgehog Proteins ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Models, Animal ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Patched Receptors ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; genetics ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Skin Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism

Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; standards ; Mutation ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology

Adolescent ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Gonadal Dysgenesis, 46,XY ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Gonadoblastoma ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of RRM1 and ERCC1 genes in tumor tissues and peripheral blood lymphocytes of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSTissue and peripheral blood samples were collected from 49 advanced NSCLC patients treated with gemcitabine plus carboplatin. The expressions of RRM1 and ERCC1 mRNA in tumor tissue and peripheral lymphocytes were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The relationship of gene expression with clinical characteristics,chemotherapy response and prognosis was analyzed.

RESULTSThe RRM1 expression in tumor tissues was positively correlated with that in peripheral blood lymphocytes,while no significant correlation was observed between ERCC1 expression in tumor tissues and that in peripheral blood (rs=0.332 and 0.258; P=0.020 and 0.073, respectively). The expression of RRM1 and ERCC1 in tumor tissues peripheral lymphocytes was synchronous (rs=0.634 and 0.351; P<0.001 and 0.013, respectively). There was no significant correlation of gene expression with gender, age, smoking status, performance status, clinical stages and histological types of patients (P>0.05). Significant difference was found in response rate to chemotherapy (P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.05),median survival time (P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.05) and 1-year survival rate (P<0.01,<0.05,P<0.05) between patients with low RRM1 and ERCC1 expression levels in tumor tissues or low RRM1 expression levels in peripheral blood and those with high RRM1 and ERCC1 expression levels. The patients with low ERCC1 expression levels in tumor tissues gained higher 2-year survival rate (P<0.05). There was no correlation of the expression of ERCC1 in peripheral blood with the response to chemotherapy and prognosis (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe expression of RRMI and ERCC1 genes in tumor tissues and RRM1 in peripheral blood lymphocytes is closely correlated with the response to chemotherapy and prognosis of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with gemcitabine plus carboplatin.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Endonucleases ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; metabolism

Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genes, ras ; genetics ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; methods ; Mutation ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; ras Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Cancer cell metabolism is characterized by an enhanced uptake and utilization of glucose, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. The persistent activation of aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells can be linked to activation of oncogenes or loss of tumor suppressors, thereby fundamentally advancing cancer progression. In this respect, inhibition of glycolytic capacity may contribute to an anticancer effect on malignant cells. Understanding the mechanisms of aerobic glycolysis may present a new basis for cancer treatment. Accordingly, interrupting lactate fermentation and/or other cancer-promoting metabolic sites may provide a promising strategy to halt tumor development. In this review, we will discuss dysregulated and reprogrammed cancer metabolism followed by clinical relevance of the metabolic enzymes, such as hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase M2, lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase and glutaminase. The proper intervention of these metabolic sites may provide a therapeutic advantage that can help overcome resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Carcinogenesis/drug effects/metabolism ; Glycolysis/*drug effects ; Humans ; Neoplasms/drug therapy/*metabolism

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β regulates a wide variety of cellular responses, including cell growth arrest, apoptosis, cell differentiation, motility, invasion, extracellular matrix production, tissue fibrosis, angiogenesis, and immune function. Although tumor-suppressive roles of TGF-β have been extensively studied and well-characterized in many cancers, especially at early stages, accumulating evidence has revealed the critical roles of TGF-β as a pro-tumorigenic factor in various types of cancer. This review will focus on recent findings regarding epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by TGF-β, in relation to crosstalk with some other signaling pathways, and the roles of TGF-β in lung and pancreatic cancers, in which TGF-β has been shown to be involved in cancer progression. Recent findings also strongly suggested that targeting TGF-β signaling using specific inhibitors may be useful for the treatment of some cancers. TGF-β plays a pivotal role in the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). TGF-β is produced as latent high molecular weight complexes, and the latent TGF-β complex expressed on the surface of Tregs contains glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP, also known as leucine-rich repeat containing 32 or LRRC32). Inhibition of the TGF-β activities through regulation of the latent TGF-β complex activation will be discussed.
Drug Discovery ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; metabolism ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; physiology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; antagonists & inhibitors ; immunology ; metabolism

Phosphatide acid (PA) is a kind of multifunctional bioactive phospholipid. It has been proved that PA produced by lysophosphatide acid acyltransferase (LPAATbeta) was involved in several signalling pathways in tumor cells, leading to the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, respiratory burst, expression and release of cytokine form tumor cells. The fact that expression of LPAATbeta was higher in tumor tissues than in their homologous normal tissues, and that antitumor effect of inhibitng LPAATbeta on solid tumor and hematological malignancy suggested that the targeting LPAATbeta would be a promising method of antitumor treatment. In this paper, the relevant basic and preclinical researches of LPAATbeta on antitumor treatment were summarized.
Acyltransferases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Phosphatidic Acids ; metabolism ; physiology

Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) is over-expressed in prostate cancer (PCa) and involved in its development and progression by facilitating inflammatory response, reducing cell apoptosis, increasing angiogenesis and damaging DNA oxidation. Selective Cox-2 inhibitors suppress PCa growth through various channels and therefore have a promising application value in the management of prostate cancer.
Apoptosis ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; metabolism ; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism