Objective: To investigate the function of primary cilia in regulating the cellular response to temozolomide (TMZ) and ionizing radiation (IR) in glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: GBM cells were treated with TMZ or X-ray/carbon ion. The primary cilia were examined by immunostaining with Arl13b and γ-tubulin, and the cellular resistance ability was measured by cell viability assay or survival fraction assay. Combining with cilia ablation by IFT88 depletion or chloral hydrate and induction by lithium chloride, the autophagy was measured by acridine orange staining assay. The DNA damage repair ability was estimated by the kinetic curve of γH2AX foci, and the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) activation was detected by immunostaining assay. Results: Primary cilia were frequently preserved in GBM, and the induction of ciliogenesis decreased cell proliferation. TMZ and IR promoted ciliogenesis in dose- and time-dependent manners, and the suppression of ciliogenesis significantly enhanced the cellular sensitivity to TMZ and IR. The inhibition of ciliogenesis elevated the lethal effects of TMZ and IR via the impairment of autophagy and DNA damage repair. The interference of ciliogenesis reduced DNA-PK activation, and the knockdown of DNA-PK led to cilium formation and elongation. Conclusion Primary cilia play a vital role in regulating the cellular sensitivity to TMZ and IR in GBM cells through mediating autophagy and DNA damage repair.
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/therapeutic use* ; Brain Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA/therapeutic use* ; Glioblastoma/metabolism* ; Humans ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Temozolomide/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: To establish a mouse model bearing orthotopic temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant glioma that mimics the development of drug resistance in gliomas METHODS: Seventy-eight adult C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups ( RESULTS: The mouse models bearing TMZresistant glioma was successfully established. The cells from the high-dose induced group showed a significantly higher colony-forming rate than those from the high-dose control group ( CONCLUSIONS Progressive increase of TMZ doses in mice bearing orthotopic gliomas can effectively induce TMZ resistance of the gliomas.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/pharmacology* ; Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Glioma/drug therapy* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Temozolomide/therapeutic use*

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/pharmacology* ; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclophosphamide/pharmacology* ; Ginkgo biloba/chemistry* ; Mammary Neoplasms, Animal/drug therapy* ; Mice ; Plant Extracts/administration & dosage*

To explore the renal metabolic markers relavant to the renal toxicity of diethylnitrosamine and the metabolic pathways involved in the renal metabolic markers.
 Methods: Nineteen Sprague Dawley rats were assigned into 2 groups: A normal control group (n=9) and a diethylnitrosamine (DEN) administration group (n=10). The rats in the normal control group were given sterilized water for free drinking. The rats in the DEN administration group were given 0.1 mg/mL DEN solution for free drinking. After 18 weeks, the kidney tissues were collected and tested for nuclear magnetic resonance detection and pathological examination.
 Results: The content of kidneys metabolites in the rats with the DEN administration was changed significantly. The levels of alanine, taurine, pyruvate, acetate, and choline were significantly reduced compared with rat in the normal control group, while the levels of creatine, glycine, TMAO, methionine, proline, lactate, valine, leucine and isoleucine were significantly increased.
 Conclusion: Metabolicomics studies have revealed significant differences in five metabolic pathways, including valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, glycine serine and threonine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, glycolysis or gluconeogenesis, cysteine and methionine metabolism.
Alkylating Agents ; toxicity ; Animals ; Diethylnitrosamine ; toxicity ; Glycine ; Kidney ; drug effects ; physiology ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The survival rates of boys and men with cancer have increased due to advances in cancer treatments; however, maintenance of quality of life, including fertility preservation, remains a major issue. Fertile male patients who receive radiation and/or chemotherapy face temporary, long-term, or permanent gonadal damage, particularly with exposure to alkylating agents and whole-body irradiation, which sometimes induce critical germ cell damage. These cytotoxic treatments have a significant impact on a patient's ability to have their own biological offspring, which is of particular concern to cancer patients of reproductive age. Therefore, various strategies are needed in order to preserve male fertility. Sperm cryopreservation is an effective method for preserving spermatozoa. Advances have also been achieved in pre-pubertal germ cell storage and research to generate differentiated male germ cells from various types of stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and spermatogonial stem cells. These approaches offer hope to many patients in whom germ cell loss is associated with sterility, but are still experimental and preliminary. This review examines the current understanding of the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on male fertility.
Alkylating Agents ; Cryopreservation ; Drug Therapy ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; Fertility ; Fertility Preservation ; Germ Cells ; Gonads ; Hope ; Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Infertility ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Methods ; Quality of Life ; Radiotherapy ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatozoa ; Stem Cells ; Survival Rate ; Whole-Body Irradiation

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; Busulfan ; Cell Transplantation ; Chimera ; Coturnix/physiology* ; Female ; Male ; Spermatogonia/transplantation* ; Testicular Diseases/therapy* ; Testis/transplantation*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of triptolide (TP) on oxidative stress and apoptosis in TM4 sertoli cells and related molecular mechanism. METHODS: TM4 cells were incubated with different concentrations of triptolide for 24 h, then collected for further experiments. Cell proliferation analysis was used to measure the inhibitive effect of triptolide on proliferation of TM4 cells; DCFH-DA (6-carboxy-2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate) probe was used to stain the TM4 cells, the level change of intracellular ROS was discovered through flow cytometry; the TM4 cells were stained by Annexin V-FITC/PI to detect whether triptolide induced apoptosis in the TM4 cells; Protein was extracted from the TM4 cells in control and triptolide group. Western blot was performed to determine the expression of apoptosis marker protein cleaved-PARP and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins [p-Akt (Ser473), Akt, p-mTOR (Ser2448), mTOR, p-p70S6K (Thr389), p70S6K]. RESULTS: Cell proliferation analysis revealed that triptolide reduced the TM4 cells viability significantly compared with control group in a dosage-dependent manner [10 nmol/L: (73.77±20.95)%, 100 nmol/L: (51.60±10.43)%, 500 nmol/L: (44.34±5.78)%]; The level of intracellular ROS in the TM4 cells was significantly induced in a dosage-dependent manner (P<0.01); triptolide remarkably induced early-stage and late-stage apoptosis in the TM4 cells [control: (3.84±1.50)%, 100 nmol/L: (13.04±2.03)%, 200 nmol/L: (16.24±1.34)%, 400 nmol/L: (18.76±3.45)%]; The expression of cleaved-PARP was significantly upregulated in the TM4 cells after incubation with triptolide (P<0.01); The expression levels of p-Akt/Akt and p-p70S6K/p70s6k were significantly increased compared with control group (P<0.01). No significant change was observed among the expression levels of p-mTOR/mTOR (P>0.05). CONCLUSION In vitro studies showed that triptolide could effectively suppress the proliferation and induce apoptosis of TM4 sertoli cells. The oxidative stress was upregulated after incubation with triptolide, which may be one of the mechanisms of cytotoxicity in TM4 cells. Treatment of triptolide led to activation of Akt and p70S6K, indicating that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway may be involved in response to oxidative stress in TM4 cells. The activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was one of the molecular mechanisms involved in triptolide-mediated oxidative stress in TM4 cells. Our study provides insight into alleviating reproductive toxicity of triptolide in clinical and developing male contraceptive.
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Diterpenes/pharmacology* ; Epoxy Compounds/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Male ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Phenanthrenes/pharmacology* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/drug effects* ; Sertoli Cells/drug effects* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

Recent advances in chemotherapy have led to increased survival rates for patients with hematologic malignancies. However, standard chemotherapies, including alkylating agents for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, could induce therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MNs), a group of disorders categorized by the World Health Organization in 2008. Here, we report a case of coexistence of bone marrow (BM)-involved refractory marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MZL) and therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS). Simultaneous presence of refractory lymphoma and t-MN in the BM is rare, and this is the first report in Korea. The patient received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to cure both the MZL and t-MDS. Since the HSCT, he has been stable for 21 months without any evidence of recurrence.
Alkylating Agents ; Bone Marrow ; Drug Therapy ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate ; World Health Organization

Epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) is a common gynecologic malignancy in women. The standard treatment for OC is maximal cytoreductive surgical debulking followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. Despite the high response rate to primary therapy, approximately 85% of patients will develop recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC). This review identifies the clinical use of trabectedin in the treatment algorithm for ROC, with specific emphasis on platinum-sensitive ROC, for which trabectedin in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin has been approved as a treatment protocol. The main mechanisms of action of trabectedin at the cellular level and in the tumor microenvironment is also discussed as bases for identifying biomarkers for selecting patients who may largely benefit from trabectedin-based therapies.
Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; therapeutic use ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; DNA Damage ; Dioxoles ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; drug therapy ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial ; drug therapy ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Polyethylene Glycols ; administration & dosage ; Tetrahydroisoquinolines ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Tumor Microenvironment

BACKGROUNDThe radiochemotherapy regimen concomitantly employing temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) 4 weeks after surgery, followed by 6 cycles of TMZ is a common treatment for glioblastoma (GBM). However, its median overall survival (OS) is only 14.6 months. This study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of early TMZ chemotherapy between surgery and chemoradiotherapy plus the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen.

METHODSA randomized, parallel group, open-label study of 99 newly diagnosed GBM patients was conducted at 10 independent Chinese neurosurgical departments from June 2008 to June 2012. Patients were treated with concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen plus early postsurgical temozolomide (early TMZ group) or standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen (control group). Overall response was assessed based on objective tumor assessments, administration of corticosteroid and neurological status test. Hematological, biochemical, laboratory, adverse event (AE), and neurological condition were measured for 24 months of follow-up. The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS).

RESULTSThe median OS time in the early TMZ group was 17.6 months, compared with 13.2 months in the control group (log-rank test P = 0.021). In addition, the OS rate in the early TMZ group was higher at 6, 12, and 18 months than in the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). The median PFS time was 8.7 months in the early TMZ group and 10.4 months in the control group (log-rank test P = 0.695). AEs occurred in 29 (55.8%) and 31(73.8%) patients respectively in early and control groups, including nausea (15.4% vs. 33.3%), vomiting (7.7% vs. 28.6%), fever (7.7% vs. 11.9%), and headache (3.8% vs. 23.8%). Only 30.8% and 33.3% were drug-related, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSAddition of TMZ chemotherapy in the early break of the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen was well tolerated and significantly improved the OS of the GBM patients, compared with standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen. However, a larger randomized trial is warranted to verify these results.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; therapeutic use ; Chemoradiotherapy ; methods ; Dacarbazine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Glioblastoma ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult